Main Street Now – Tulsa, Oklahoma (2026)
<blank" >target="_blank" >figure class="wp-block-image size-large">The Main Street Now conference is the largest glossary/gathering/" class="glossaryLink" data-cmtooltip="8844030ed7ae09fddd50edc8b659f4ab" target="_blank" >gathering of downtown revitalization leaders each year. This year the conference is in Tulsa from April 12-15, 2026.
Wayfinding helps to orient to the downtown. There are multiple subareas that they define. I started in the Cathedral District, moved through the art-deco/" class="glossaryLink" data-cmtooltip="333010d5c7178bf698593899d50fc9cf" target="_blank" >Art Deco district and got as far as Utica Square by scooter.
Took a brief detour at the Philbrook Art Museum. Was impressed by how they packed in an encyclopedic collection within a private residence. As an aside when the owners moved out in 1939 they intentionally left it to become the museum it is today with a very large endowment to boot. This is the ethos of Tulsa. Money made here stayed here and did not leak out like other boomtowns.
Sunday, April 12
The Main Street America welcome reception at Mother Road Market embodied all I have learnt to love about Main Street over two decades:
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- Like minded people joined by a shared purpose to make our communities stronger and better
- Live music presented by the Levitt Family Foundation from which I received a grant for one of the original 10 Levitt AMP communities in the country
- Amazing food from small businesses, much like those we work with and for in our districts
- A nonprofit food house/" class="glossaryLink" data-cmtooltip="4d8d702b37a7ba2341c578ad4aae854c" target="_blank" >hall venue with people friendly design including a sizable covered space for social gathering
Taking it all in I am full of gratitude for this community and movement that I am proud to be a part of.
Monday, April 13
Conference leaders opened Main Street Now 2026 in Tulsa by welcoming attendees, acknowledging local Tribal nations and the Tulsa Race Massacre, and thanking organizers and sponsors. Oklahoma Main Street Director Buffy Skee and state and city leaders highlighted Oklahoma’s 40-year Main Street anniversary, statewide growth to 50 communities, and Tulsa’s corridor-based revitalization, spotlighting districts such as the Global District, Kendall Whittier, Route 66 Main Street, and the historic Greenwood District, alongside mobile workshops intended to show implementation in practice. Governor Kevin Stitt emphasized pro-business policy priorities aimed at reducing bureaucracy and accelerating permitting to support entrepreneurship, while Tulsa’s Chief Economic Development Officer Aaron Persley shared district-specific outcomes and initiatives (including mixed-income housing, community-led planning and land development structures in Greenwood, and the Plaza Santa Cecilia entrepreneurial hub). National Trust and Main Street America speakers framed Route 66—approaching its centennial—as both a preservation and economic development opportunity, describing Tulsa’s planning, façade/neon grant efforts, and the road’s evolving role as a connector while noting historically excluded communities and the Green Book context for Black travelers. Main Street America CEO Erin Barnes positioned “durability” and civic participation as core themes, summarized national impact metrics (reinvestment, business creation, and jobs), and launched/advanced the “History Happens on Main Street” national storytelling project to broaden how communities document and activate complex local histories, using examples including Anniston’s Freedom Riders site work and Tulsa/Greenwood.
Erin Barnes, President and CEO of Main Street America had these profound words to share:
quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">We can use our stories to measure how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go to live up to our shared American values. Because as stewards of place, we are also stewards of stories. Not the easy versions, not the polished versions, but the true ones even when, especially when, they challenge us. – Erin Barnes
The plenary concluded with recognition of Great American Main Street Award semifinalists and the announcement of the 2026 GAMSA winners: Farmington Main Street (Michigan), Downtown Wytheville (Virginia), and Downtown Sykesville (Maryland).
Tuesday, April 14
Wednesday, April 15
Thursday, April 16
My quick take on Tulsa is the Uber rides provided the best unfiltered view of the city – where it’s been, where it’s at, where it is going. My final ride to the airport was perhaps the best of them all distilling the whole purpose of the conference and a story of multiple generations of a family from Greenwood. They owned a store that was also a community gathering place before urban renewal wiped it out. Scenes from the movie Rumble Fish were filmed there. The mother of the driver James was born in 1920, the year before the tragic Tulsa Race Massacre. His grandfather was pictured being carried away on the shoulders of another man to a place of protection during that terrible time. Then as we approached the airport we spoke of his dreams for his daughter to one day be a pilot. Perfectly crystalized in our talk was past, present, and future. And it gave me hope. Thank you Tulsa for an unforgettable five days. I’m full of gratitude for your authenticity, resilience, and power to inspire.