Programs

The Fort Wayne Cultural District

In June of 2010, the Downtown Improvement District and our strategic partners Arts United, City of Fort Wayne, and Visit Fort Wayne, successfully lobbied for and attained the Fort Wayne Cultural District designation, made possible through a successful vote from the Fort Wayne City Council.Anchored by Arts United’s arts campus, the Cultural District includes 15 historic sites, 6 museums, 6 theaters, 11 art galleries, 23 performing arts spaces, 4 libraries and archives, 8 arts education facilities, 18 public parks and gardens, and numerous restaurants, stores and local businesses. By harnessing the momentum of multiple arts and cultural organizations, the Cultural District serves as a physical landmark and logistical nucleus of cultural activities throughout the region – bringing increased visibility to the quality and diversity of arts and entertainment options that are uniquely available in downtown Fort Wayne and facilitating the movement of arts and audiences between our urban core and outlying communities.

As quality of life becomes increasingly important in the determination of our city’s value to its citizens and businesses, the Cultural District will play a central role in reinvigorating our urban core and strengthening its cultural identity.

Cultural District Goals

  • Support downtown as a destination
  • Develop, coordinate, and support diverse cultural district programming activities
  • Develop a collaborative cultural district brand identity and marketing plan
  • Promote connectivity and transportation to, from, and within downtown
  • Encourage creative industry development

For more information about the Cultural District contact Dan Swartz, Cultural District Liaison, at dswartz@artsunited.org or 260.424.0646.

Beautification Efforts

The Downtown Improvement District’s beautification program began in the summer of 2007 with the primary goal of improving downtown’s appearance by removing weeds, litter, and other items from downtown sidewalks. Since then, the program has expanded to include year-round maintenance and upkeep, an in-depth summer inventory conducted each year, plenty of equipment and tools, and the ability to attend to larger issues downtown. In 2008, the beautification program was re-branded “Clean & Green,” and was expanded to include a “Clean & Green Team” of three individuals. These three individuals work hard to keep downtown sidewalks clean and free of any hazards to pedestrians.

Since the program’s start, the DID has collected over 600 barrels (one barrel = 32 gallons) of litter and other items from downtown streets. One member of the Clean & Green Team takes to the street each day in the DID’s Kawasaki Mule 3010 to clean-up downtown sidewalks and monitor hazards. The other two individuals primarily stay indoors working to keep the inventory project up to date, monitoring hazards to pedestrians in the downtown area, and keeping database information up to date. These two individuals also occasionally assist in outdoor work. Together, the Clean & Green Team works hard to keep downtown looking it’s best, and strives to keep downtown safe for people of all ages.

If you have any suggestions or questions about the Clean & Green program, contact Frank Howard at 260.420.3266 or Larry Thomas, Jr at the DID.