28 Aug 2024
Delray Beach, Florida – August 26, 2024: The Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority (DDA) announced today that it has been recognized with a top industry award from the International Downtown Association (IDA) for its revitalization of Delray Beach's Old School Square. As the premier organization for urban place professionals who are shaping and activating dynamic city center districts, the IDA recognizes outstanding projects each year as winners of the Downtown Achievement Awards which identify improvements to urban centers by dedicated organizations around the globe.
The DDA has been responsible for operating, maintaining, and programming activities, exhibitions and special events on the Old School Square Campus, which includes the Cornell Art Museum, Ampitheatre and Vintage Gym, since December 2022 when the organization first entered into an interlocal agreement with the City of Delray Beach. The DDA's revitalization efforts since then, which are referenced in their award-winning entry, include the following:
- Brought life to the Cornell Art Museum with 15 rotating art exhibitions featuring more than 300 regional artists in addition to reopening the Museum Store.
- Activated the entire Old School Square Campus with 150+ events, including innovative and interactive art displays for all ages, concerts, festivals and markets.
- Attracted approximately 350,000 individuals to the downtown Delray Beach campus.
- Managed and operated all private events.
- Launched a new brand identity for the campus and brought it to life with purposeful public relations, digital marketing, social media, and street signage.
- Delivered an economic impact on Downtown Delray of more than $8 million.
“Receiving top industry honors from the International Downtown Association is a huge honor for our team, the Downtown Delray Beach district and the entire City of Delray Beach,” said Laura Simon, Executive Director of the DDA. “The revitalization of Old School Square was a huge undertaking for the DDA and we are proud to have our efforts and results recognized by the International Downtown Association (IDA), which is the absolute leading organization in our industry.”
According to the IDA, urban place management organizations are on the front lines of solving challenges related to placemaking, economic development, urban planning and branding. These organizations activate public spaces and make cities vibrant, healthy places for everyone. IDA's members have a proven track record of creating collaborative public-private partnerships to tackle weighty issues.
About International Downtown Association (IDA)
IDA is the premier organization for urban place professionals who are shaping and activating dynamic city center districts. Its members are city builders and downtown champions who bring urban centers to life, bridging the gap between the public and private sectors. IDA represents an industry of more than 2,500 place management organizations, employing 100,000 people throughout North America and growing rapidly around the world. Founded in 1954, the organization is a resource center for ideas and innovative best practices in urban place management. For more information, visit www.downtown.org.
About Old School Square
Old School Square is an historic cultural arts campus in the heart of Downtown Delray Beach. Old School Square's mission is to create a welcoming space where the community comes together for high-quality, diverse and interactive art experiences, while honoring the 100-year-old historic campus. The 6-acre campus is home to early 20th century school buildings that have been renovated and are now a fine arts museum (Cornell Art Museum), wedding and events venue (The Vintage Gym), and a performance theatre and creative arts school (Crest Theatre building). The campus also boasts an outdoor amphitheatre for live music performances, a park and its own parking garage. Old School Square takes up an entire city block at the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Swinton Avenue. The address is 51 N. Swinton Avenue, Delray Beach, FL 33444. For more information and to see a full list of events at Old School Square, please visit: https://delrayoldschoolsquare.com/events.
About Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority (DDA)
The Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority (DDA) was established in 1971 with a mission to grow, strengthen, and enhance the economic vitality of Downtown Delray Beach. As an autonomous agency of the City, the Delray Beach DDA advocates, facilitates, plans, and executes business development, fosters business relations, helps with the planning of public and private projects, and markets the downtown district. The DDA is located at 350 SE 1st Street, Delray Beach, FL. Learn more at https://downtowndelraybeach.com/ or by calling 561-243-1077.
Follow updates on social media: @DowntownDelray and @DelrayOldSchoolSquare
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Melissa Perlman
BlueIvy Communications
561-310-9921
