ABILENE, Texas – The Abilene Chamber of Commerce Downtown Initiative (Downtown ABI) today launched an interactive map to track and promote the $100M+ in real estate development projects taking shape in the center city. The new tool may be found on the Map page of this website. Spearheaded by an anticipated $66M, 206-room, four-star convention […]
When we decided to renovate the Old Nichols Battery building into Amendment 21 in early 2017, we didn’t have any similar industry anchors other than The Mill. At that time, downtown, and more specifically the S.O.D.A District didn’t have any growth projections to go off of, but that didn’t stop us from moving forward with […]
The Community Foundation of Abilene exists to help donors make a lasting impact on the charitable causes that matter to them. Many of the endowment funds we manage make grants to local nonprofits, and part of our mission is to provide services to help strengthen those nonprofits. So, why do we care about a thriving […]
As a native Abileneian, I have fond memories of Downtown Abilene. Today I am creating new memories such as taking my grandkids to the Paramount Theatre or racing pinewood cars at a Cub Scout meeting at the 201 Event Center. Just a few years ago, I was driving down North 2nd near Mesquite when I noticed […]
Let’s take a little time hop… think back to 2011, just eight short years ago. Food trucks were scarce. We didn’t have any wineries or breweries in town. Downtown was, ahem, “lacking amenities.” Nevertheless, various folks disregarded “the way it’s always been done” and started new and exciting enterprises that now feel like the fabric […]
An 18 hour district. A place where people spend more than just eight hours behind a desk or two hours at a performance and then drive home. That’s what the Chamber’s Downtown Initiative is striving to create in our center city. A strong residential component is vital to fulfilling this vision. It’s why we’ve been […]
A new video produced for the Downtown Abilene Initiative (Downtown ABI) highlights several properties available for redevelopment and features other successfully completed adaptive reuse projects. Noted urban explorer and documentarian Jonny Goodday recorded drone and hand-held footage, while accompanying Downtown ABI executive director Steve Dieterichs and residential housing developer Jim Sari on a tour in […]
Steve Dieterichs, executive director of the Abilene Chamber of Commerce Downtown Initiative, was presented his credentials as a Certified Tourism Executive (CTE) at the conclusion of the 2018 session of Travel & Tourism College, a program of the Texas Travel Industry Association (TTIA). In addition to completing the coursework, Mr. Dieterichs also completed a capstone […]