Downtown Tyler Boasts Three Finalists in Downtown Awards Program

Three Downtown Tyler projects were named category finalists in the 2016 Texas Downtown Association (TDA) President’s Awards Program. The three entries in competition for statewide honors are Butler Architectural Group for Best Commercial Interior, the People’s Petroleum Building for Best Restoration Project and the Downtown Tyler Film Festival for Best Promotional Event.

“We are so proud of these finalists,” said Beverly Abell of the City of Tyler Main Street Department. “Our nominations are in competition with all participating communities with a population of 50,000 or more. The fact that we have reached finalist status with these projects is a confirmation of their quality and impact.”

Downtown Tyler is one of the winningest programs in Texas, with 22 statewide awards in categories for events, businesses, design, restoration and adaptive reuse and more. The City of Tyler, Regions Bank and the Downtown Tyler Arts Coalition have all earned Best Downtown Partner awards and Mayor Martin Heines and volunteer Ingrid Young have won the prestigious Downtowner of the Year award. Abell received the first Susan Campbell Award for Professional Excellence and is a past president of the TDA.

Judging for the awards took place on Sept. 16 in Austin. The jury panel included Courtney Hoffman, CRH Capitol Communications; Richard Kooris, Pegalo Properties, Inc.; Sarah Page, Texas Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus; and Rachael Pitts, Texas Municipal League. Winners will be announced in November at the President’s Awards Gala held in conjunction with the 2016 Texas Downtown Conference in Killeen.

Since 1988, the Awards Program has recognized more than 150 projects, events and people that make a difference in Texas downtowns. Each of the categories has two separate population divisions – under and over 50,000 residents.

The TDA, established in 1985, is an independent, statewide nonprofit organization comprised of more than 400 members involved in downtown and commercial district revitalization projects. TDA provides resources to members through networking opportunities, marketing, education and advocacy to achieve community goals. To learn more, please visit texasdowntown.org.