Waukegan Main Street

For over 30 years, the Main Street movement, sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, has helped cities and towns all over the country to focus on the revitalization of their downtown neighborhoods. The National Trust Main Street Center is the driving force behind the more than 2,000 programs that use the proven Main Street Approach® to rebuild and reinvent the heart of their communities.

Waukegan was designated an Illinois Main Street Community in March, 2002, after meeting a rigorous set of guidelines. Waukegan Main Street (WMS) employs a full-time, professional executive director, who works with the Board of Directors and many other committed individuals, all volunteers, to implement the Main Street Approach. As a not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) organization, WMS receives support from all sectors of the community: residents, small business owners, property owners, developers, the City of Waukegan, and other entities.