The New Castle-Henry County Chamber of Commerce hosted its first “Breakfast With the Chamber” event April 17 at Henry County REMC in New Castle. The guest speaker was Emily Hurst, executive director of New Castle Main Street.
Hurst gave a presentation about the economic impact of revitalization.
As its mission statement explains, “New Castle Main Street acts as a catalyst to develop and sustain a unique and thriving downtown for residents, business merchants, property owners and visitors so that the communities of New Castle and Henry County, Indiana, flourish.”
As part of that mission, New Castle Main Street acts as a cheerleader for everything that happens downtown and works behind the scenes to support the general economic ecosystem.
Building Renovation Assistance Program
Hurst said the Building Renovation Assistance Program (BRAP) is getting ready to start its third round of projects. BRAP is a grant matching program in which property owners invest 60 percent and New Castle Main Street provides the remaining 40 percent in the form of a forgivable loan. BRAP is also a financial partnership with the New Castle Redevelopment Commission (RDC). The New Castle RDC grants New Castle Main Street money that comes in through the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district, Hurst said.
Some past BRAP projects include The Hub on South 14th Street, the former artistry annex building at Broad and 15th streets and the former Edwards Jeweler building on Broad Street. In many cases, BRAP renovations/revitalizations attracted new businesses or residents that weren’t there previously.
Hurst said Henry County has an “extraordinary housing shortage,” with an estimated 4,000 fewer dwellings than what is needed for the population size.
In 2024, BRAP saw an estimated $1.9 million dollars in historic preservation investment. According to Hurst, only two downtown New Castle properties are owned by people who live outside of Henry County, which makes the downtown district unique compared to other areas.
“That is rare,” she said. “So many other Main Street directors that I have connected with talk about their absentee property owners, and we don’t have that. We are so grateful at Main Street to be able to support the local movement of revitalizing our downtown.”
PreservINg Main Street
In October 2023, New Castle won a $2 million PreservINg Main Street Grant through the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA). As part of the historic preservation grant, property owners only have to provide a 10 percent match, Hurst said.
The PreservINg Main Street Grant will provide funds for six downtown building revitalizations, which includes 11 businesses, five upper story renovations, four reconstructed parapets, 25 windows and seven reconstructed storefronts.
“That’s an incredible investment in our downtown,” Hurst said, noting that construction on those projects is expected to begin late summer or early fall.
The six buildings that will be worked on include 1114 Broad St., 1120-1122 Broad St., 1400 Broad St., 1411-1413 Race St., 218 S. 15th St. and 212 S. Main Street.
Main Street movies and other downtown events
In December 2024, New Castle Main Street hosted its first “Christmas at The Castle” movie season.
“It was ‘Hallmark movie’ magical,” Hurst said.
The holiday movie screenings were a partnership among New Castle Main Street, Henry Community Health and The Castle Venue owners, the Cook family. More than 1,700 people attended at least one of 13 holiday films screened at the historic theatre, which now serves as an event venue.
“That means 1,700 people came downtown, on purpose,” Hurst said, adding that not only were families and friends were able to enjoy the nostalgia of experiencing a movie at the Castle, but the increase in downtown traffic also proved profitable for many area businesses. For instance, Ink & Ale Brewhouse reported doing at least $1,000 more in business on a Friday night when a movie was playing than on a normal night.
“Main Street Movies” will continue throughout the year, with a variety of titles already announced including “National Treasure” July 4-5, “Harry and the Hendersons” July 11-12, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” Aug. 16 and “Remember the Titans” Sept. 20. Additional movies are expected during the Halloween and Christmas seasons.
Additional events New Castle Main Street hosted in 2024 included the “Dog Days of Summer,” which brought 100 dogs and their owners to downtown New Castle, along with Boo Bash on Broad, which attracted 500 trick-or-treaters.
Operating funds and how to get involved
In 2024, New Castle Main Street raised $268,446 for its operations, which was a combination of grant funds, public funds and corporate and private investments. Of the funds received, about one-third came from corporate investments while nearly half were private investments. New Castle Main Street is a 100 percent support-funded organization that does not receive baseline funding from the State, or funds from its governing organization, Main Street America.
“Each dollar we have is a dollar thoughtfully given,” Hurst said.
Individuals or businesses who want to get involved with New Castle Main Street can do so in a variety of ways. For example, sponsorships are available through a new “Business Bundles” package. Community members are invited to attend one of several downtown events, including Taste the Town on June 27, Dog Days of Summer on July 25 and Play in the Plaza on Aug. 22. All three of those events are re-imagined “Fourth Friday” activities, Hurst said. Boo Bash on Broad is scheduled Oct. 25.
Donations can also be made to the Main Street Matters Annual Fund, or items can be purchased from the organization’s wish list. Main Street Movies sponsors are also needed.
For more information about New Castle Main Street, its programs or sponsorship and donation opportunities, call 765-388-4343, visit www.newcastledowntown.com, follow New Castle Main Street: The Heart of New Castle on Facebook, or stop in the office at 100 S. Main St., Suite 2, New Castle.
Upcoming Chamber events
“Lunch With the Chamber” will take place at 11:15 a.m. May 15 at the New Castle Armory, 1537 Grand Ave. The guest speaker will be citizen of the year, Judy Hubbard.
The next “Breakfast With the Chamber” event will take place at 7:30 a.m. June 26 at the 1414 Venue, 1414 Broad St., New Castle. The guest speaker will be James Joseph, a senior client relationship representative at First Merchants Bank. Joseph will speak about “setbacks not being endpoints, but opportunities for growth and transformation.”
To register to attend upcoming Chamber events, visit https://www.nchcchamber.com/.
– Story by Katie Clontz (klontz@TheCourierTimes.com) of The Courier-Times. Read more local stories at TheCourierTimes.com.