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A mural that reads "Welcome to Pleasant Grove" at the corner of 200 South and Main Street is shown Friday, July 4, 2025.

Curtis Booker, Daily Herald

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A clock with a sign reading "Historic Pleasant Grove" is shown Friday, July 4, 2025.

Curtis Booker, Daily Herald

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The intersection of 400 South and Main Street in Springville is photographed Monday, Nov. 4, 2019.

Stacy Johnson, Daily Herald file photo

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People are shown riding bikes along Pleasant Grove's Main Street near the Grove Theater on Friday, July 4, 2025.

Curtis Booker, Daily Herald

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The H.T. Reynolds building is pictured Friday, March 21, 2025, in Springville.

Jacob Nielson, Daily Herald

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A mural that reads "Kindness Matters" at the corner of Center Street and Main Street in Pleasant Grove is photographed Friday, July 4, 2025.

Curtis Booker, Daily Herald

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In numerous cities across Utah Valley, the historic downtown areas symbolize the heart and soul of the communities.

In places like Pleasant Grove and Springville, both have their own Main Street thoroughfares that offer a feel of the city’s past integrated with current efforts to keep their downtowns vibrant and economically viable.

Last month, the Utah Main Street program welcomed both Pleasant Grove and Springville, along with five other new communities, into its Tier 1 Promising Communities program.

The designation marks the beginning steps that each of the seven towns will take in efforts to revitalize their downtowns, preserve historic character and support economic development.

According to Utah Main Street’s website, the community-led initiative follows Main Street America’s four-point approach, through which municipalities work together to inject new life into their downtown commercial districts and neighborhoods.

Chelsea Gauthier, program manager of Utah Main Street, said each city sought out recognition with interest in gaining access to tools, training and financial support to help breathe new life into their communities.

“They want to see and showcase their downtowns as a place to come and experience,” Gauthier said. “They’re really wanting to leverage economic development, historic preservation and that community engagement component.”

City officials in Pleasant Grove said that prior to Utah Main Street’s recognition, plans were already in motion to revitalize its downtown.

City Administrator Scott Darrington said Pleasant Grove received a planning grant from the Mountainland Association of Governments, and the city is aiming to hire a consultant who will work with local business owners and city leaders about how and where to focus their efforts.

“And then this is kind of running parallel with it, which is engaging with the Main Street program to use their program to help with some of the things that they provide,” Darrington told the Daily Herald.

In Springville, plans are in place to rebuild the Central Bank structure that sits at the corner of Main Street and 200 South back to its original form as it stood in the 19th century.

The Utah Main Street program is one of over 40 statewide coordinating programs for Main Street America, which is a national nonprofit under the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Main Street America has been helping revitalize older and historic commercial districts for more than 35 years.

Tier 1 Promising Communities begin with a phased development process under Utah Main Street and Main Street America, which can last between one to three years.

Communities may move to Tier 2 sooner or take longer, but they must reapply after three years if they haven’t met certain thresholds.

Some of the requirements to advance to Tier 2 include using resources to develop a committee, a budget forecast and a fundraising plan. Also required is a detailed application showing historic preservation, community and financial support as well as how the development plan would support a walkable business environment.

Payson is one of 10 Utah cities that has already reached Tier 2 status for revamping its downtown area through the Utah Main Street program.

In June, Utah Main Street awarded over $315,000 in funding dedicated to preserving seven historic buildings from communities throughout Utah, including two in Ogden.

These properties have been selected as part of the program’s 2025 Revive & Reside grants.

“Each one of our communities in Utah have their own unique history and stories to tell and architectural character,” Gauthier said. “And so we really want to leverage their stories (and) their local sense of place.”

According to Utah Main Street, each community’s effort will look different as they address the goals and needs of their specific downtown district and uplift voices from local residents, businesses, municipalities and nonprofits.