Downtown Frostburg’s historic charm comes with a unique challenge: its mountainous topography.As the city’s Main Street climbs the hills of Western Maryland, building stability becomes a serious concern that has delayed or prevented rehabilitation efforts for some of Frostburg’s most prominent historical and commercial structures. In response, the City of Frostburg and Allegany County Economic and Community Development (ACECD) are taking action through a strategic initiative aimed at strengthening downtown buildings and returning them to active use: The Frostburg Main Street Structural Stabilization Grant Program.This grant program is part of a broader investment by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) through its FY 2025 State Revitalization Program Awards. ACECD received $250,000 in state funding under the Strategic Demolition Fund (SDF) to help stabilize at-risk buildings along Frostburg’s historic Main Street corridor.According to Bethany Fife, Director of Community Development for the City of Frostburg, the need for this initiative became clear as multiple property owners raised the same concerns. “We kept hearing the same thing again and again—property owners wanted to bring these spaces back, but they couldn’t even begin renovations until serious stabilization work was done,” Fife explained. Known as the “Mountain City,” Frostburg sits at an average elevation of 2,000 feet. Topographic and climate data also show Frostburg receiving more than 80 inches of snow annually, with snowfall occurring from October through May. These prolonged winter conditions contribute to long-term wear on buildings, particularly those on the city’s steep Main Street corridor.“In just about a year and a half, we had four or five property owners come to us with the same issue,” Fife noted. “It wasn’t cosmetic work—it was the structural stuff. That’s when we knew we had to come together and create a solution.”The Frostburg Main Street Structural Stabilization Grant Program provides targeted financial support to address the most critical and expensive barriers to redevelopment: structural repairs. While the funding comes from DHCD’s Strategic Demolition Fund, the local focus is on preservation, not demolition. “Stabilization could be foundation repairs, framing, roof support beams, or the roof itself—just anything that makes up the four walls and walls inside,” Fife explained.

Thanks to the entrepreneurial vision of small business owners like Abby Lindner, The Rosenbaum is revitalizing Downtown Cumberland in a powerful way. This Women’s History Month, Allegany County Economic and Community Development (ACECD) is spotlighting Madison Paige Boutique—a women-owned business contributing to that momentum. As the owner of Frostburg-based Madison Paige Boutique, Lindner was not initially seeking a new commercial space, but after stepping into The Rosenbaum building, she saw an opportunity to grow her business and reach new customers.“Once I set foot in the building,” Lindner recalls, “I knew this was where I was meant to be.”

Students from West Virginia University (WVU) are bringing fresh ideas to community revitalization efforts in Allegany County. Through a partnership with the WVU Landscape Architecture Program, the City of Cumberland, and Allegany County Economic and Community Development (ACECD), the Wills Creek corridor in Cumberland, Maryland, has been the focus of a student-led design project to consider its potential as a central connector for the city and a catalyst for economic prosperity.Wills Creek, a 38.6-mile-long tributary of the North Branch Potomac River, has long been both an asset and a challenge for the city of Cumberland. Concrete walls added in the 1950s to mitigate flooding have effectively protected the area but also created a physical barrier between the east and west sides.Supported by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the project focuses on improving Wills Creek’s role in the community, examining how environmental and social design could create new opportunities for businesses, residents, and visitors.The initiative, led by Dr. Stefania Staniscia, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture in WVU’s School of Design and Community Development, gave senior students in the landscape architecture program an opportunity to apply their expertise to real-world challenges while encouraging fresh perspectives on how the creek might be used in the future. This valuable offering from WVU allows landscape architecture students to apply their skills to real-world community design challenges.One of those students, Erik Moses, saw the project as an exciting opportunity to put his skills to use. “At first glance, Wills Creek is almost like a scar through the city, but if you look at it in a new way, it could be the new central vein that flows life into Cumberland,” he notes about the corridor. His team proposed a multipurpose, mixed-use green corridor emphasizing accessibility, livability, and tourism. Their design also considered ways to connect existing and proposed urban green spaces along the creek. Moses and his team emphasized strengthening the connection between both sides of the creek and downtown Cumberland to the east, as well as between the creek and the GAP Trail to the west. 

Paca Street is ready to begin a new chapter in its history. LUMA, LLC is approaching the end of a remodeling project that will revitalize 206 and 208 Paca Street, bringing new, updated apartment options and versatile retail or office space to Downtown Cumberland using funding support from the Invest Allegany grant.  The classic brick buildings, located just off Interstate 68, were first constructed in 1900. Shortly thereafter, 206 Paca Street became home to Geatz’s Restaurant, one of Maryland’s longest-running eateries, originally established in the town center in 1880. During its early years, Cumberland residents could enjoy a locally made lager at the restaurant for just five cents. After 137 years in business, the anchor establishment closed its doors in 2017.

107 Polk Street, an architectural landmark in Downtown Cumberland, is stepping into a new era. Using the Allegany County Economic and Community Development (ACECD) Invest Allegany grant, the former Junior Masonic Lodge has undergone a transformative refurbishment, creating five modern, market-rate apartments. This construction is part of a strategic effort to revitalize vacant and underused properties in Allegany County. Hunter Abell is a third-generation contractor and President of his family’s construction business, Jack Abell, Inc. The firm has a long history in Cumberland, Maryland, where it was established in 1978. Originally purchased as a personal property, Abell bought the building in 2005 and saved funds to renovate it to its former glory.

As Allegany County continues to develop and expand, the demand for residential housing options grows. Responding to this need, the Allegany County Economic and Community Development (ACECD) Invest Allegany grant program provides a financial conduit to spur adaptive reuse projects in the county’s downtown and main street areas. The program incentivizes the conversion of vacant or underutilized downtown spaces into viable mixed-use properties to help create housing options and boost business.N Mechanic Street, a principal thoroughfare alongside downtown Cumberland’s Wills Creek, will soon host three new apartments in upper-level space that had previously been commercial offices using funding from Invest Allegany. The building is under refurbishment by the North Mechanic, LLC. team, John Macy and Constance (Connie) LePrevost.  

Ristorante Ottaviani believes that family and community are the same. As it approaches its 17th year in business, the classic Italian restaurant continues to serve authentic recipes, employ family members across the generations, and welcome all visitors to Cumberland as if they are a part of the Ottaviani family. “Family is at the center of everything we do,” shares founder Adrienne Ottaviani. “Whether that is with our staff or those who come in to eat—everyone becomes family with us.” Now under her son Tony’s ownership, the restaurant has branched into new ventures with the Ottaviani’s Tasting Room and Lounge, next door to the original restaurant. 

After months of intensive rehabilitation, The McMullen Building, Baltimore Street's iconic anchor building, is opening its doors to new, upper story residents. Allegany County Economic and Community Development (ECD) caught up with CG Enterprises principals Chris Hendershot (CH) and Garrett Eagan (GE), the group behind the historic renovation, to learn more about the project's final months and plans to come. The below interview was edited for clarity and brevity. If you haven't already, take a moment to read our previous interview with the group and see some of the work in progress.Photos courtesy of Lorie Rummer Photography.

The McMullen Building, a well known anchor structure on the corner of Baltimore Street and N. George Street, is undergoing a major renovation and will soon be home to 14 luxury apartments and additional commercial frontage. The former department store building is being redeveloped by the building's owner, CG Enterprises, and was awarded $250,000 from the Allegany County Commissioners as a winner of the Invest Allegany grant program.Allegany County Economic and Community Development (ECD) had a chance to walk the site with partners Chris Hendershot, Garrett Eagan and Zach Hattenfield last September to discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with redeveloping a legacy building into modern and desirable housing. During that interview, the team generously allowed us to photograph the construction of the building. The images below represent early, in-progress renovation of this historic building.This is the first part of an ongoing series profiling Invest Allegany grant award winners and the adaptive reuse projects that are revitalizing the County's architectural landscape. The below interview has been edited for content and clarity. Photos courtesy of Janelle Mulétz Photography.