Redeveloping the Heart of Canton

BY LAUREN JOHNSON

Downtown is the heart of Canton. While the area was a thriving mill district in the early 20th century, the 1970s saw the arrival of big box stores and mall-style shopping, bringing the bustle of downtown to a halt. Serving only as a pass-through to other destinations, local businesses shuttered. In the early 2000s, a downtown resurgence occurred as people began to value all things local, nostalgic and historical once again. It was then that stores, offices and restaurants – such as the popular Downtown Kitchen – believed in and began to create the vision for what downtown Canton could be.

Main Street Magic

Established in 2010, the Canton Main Street program aims to create a vibrant downtown through historic preservation, small business development, private investment, increased tourism and more. With its eye on the future, the city of Canton is building an economy for the next generation, while restoring buildings from past generations. In the last two decades, more than 300,000 square feet of historic buildings have been restored, including former schools that now are home to City Hall and commercial offices; a former textile mill transformed into the awardwinning The Mill on Etowah; the revived historic Canton Theatre, which recently was named to The 10 Best Historic Theaters in Georgia by AmericanTowns Media; and the historic Jones Mercantile building at the center of downtown. The latter will see even more improvements starting this fall, as the developers of The Mill on Etowah create another mixed-use space featuring restaurants, office space and much more.

“The development of the Jones Building is the next opportunity to showcase the city of Canton,” developer Penn Hodge said. “The private-public partnership of this historical landmark will define the future of downtown. We see the Jones Building project as the next