The City of Prescott is Americas
newest
Preserve America Community!
Mark Rey, Undersecretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
presented Mayor Rowle Simmons a Preserve America designation
certificate. Rey was in Prescott on behalf of First Lady Laura Bush,
who selected Prescott for the Preserve America designation in
recognition of the city’s concerted historic preservation efforts
over the last quarter century.
“My personal view is today’s award to the city is very well
deserved,” Rey said during the ceremony. “As a community, you have
been involved in historic preservation for substantially longer than
most American communities.”
Citing the establishment in 1978 of a Historic Preservation
Commission and the adoption in 1998 of a Historic Preservation
Master Plan, Rey said, “Prescott is unique among American cities of
this size.” The Preserve America designation, he said, “is
recognition of this long and successful record of achievement.”
The ceremony followed a visit to the City of Prescott's nearly
100-year-old Elks Opera House and a walking tour of historic
downtown. A restoration of the opera house front lobby was
highlighted in the city's application for the Preserve America
designation.
Prescott and Fort Apache in the White Mountains are the only
Preserve America Community designees in Arizona. More than 100
communities nationwide have earned the designation.
“We are honored by this designation and we are proud of our growing
reputation as a community that truly is dedicated to historic
preservation and heritage tourism,” said Mayor Simmons.
President George W. Bush created the Preserve America initiative in
March 2003 to recognize communities that make “exceptional efforts
to protect and celebrate their heritage; use their historic assets
for economic development and community revitalization; and encourage
people to experience and appreciate local historic resources through
education and heritage tourism programs.”
