MESQUITE, TX – Downtown Mesquite will host a public grand opening event on May 22 to celebrate the opening of Front Street Station, the City of Mesquite’s $5.5 million infrastructure improvement project. The celebration is from 4-8 p.m. on Front Street, located north of Main Street. Visit downtownmesquitetx.com/events for details.
Mayor Bruce Archer said, “Growing up in Mesquite, the downtown area has always held a special place in my heart for the memories I made as a kid. Significant improvements have been made and new businesses are now choosing to come to this area. I am grateful to our city staff, the downtown merchants and the volunteer downtown board who are working together to revitalize Downtown Mesquite. The cutting of the Front Street Station ribbon will be another step forward on the journey to creating a sense of place for generations of Mesquite residents and visitors to make new memories of Downtown Mesquite.”
In addition to the ribbon-cutting ceremonies, the celebration will feature free snow cones, as well as food trucks, vendors and live music featuring Penny and The Flamethrowers. The grand opening will also be the public’s first opportunity to view eight public art installations selected for the area. The 7-foot x 10-foot murals feature artwork selected by the Downtown Mesquite Advisory Board and are to be featured in the Front Street area.
Free, limited-edition commemorative posters featuring all eight works of art will be distributed to those in attendance, said Downtown Development Manager Beverly Abell. “We wanted to provide something special that those who join in this special event will be able to frame and hang in their homes or offices,” Abell said. “This is a big moment in the history of Downtown Mesquite, and it deserves to be commemorated in a special way.”
The completion of Front Street Station is the first major improvement project in downtown since the beginning of the City of Mesquite’s downtown development program in 2018. The project has provided new underground infrastructure for the development of new restaurants. Above ground, the project features an area for events and vendor booths, a performance pavilion, as well as new parking spaces and landscaping. Abell said, “One of the greatest needs above ground was lighting.” She shared that the project has added more than 50 new streetlights to the area.
The completion of Front Street Station will be added to the list of achievements of Downtown Mesquite’s revitalization program. Since its inception, Downtown Mesquite has won multiple statewide awards for downtown revitalization programming, including honors for the 2019 groundbreaking of the Front Street Station project. The nationally accredited program provides an array of services to businesses and property owners within the district. This includes six façade enhancement grants totaling $114,000. New businesses such as Bear Cave Coffee, MVP Nutrition and Fitness and the upcoming Alejandro’s @ Front Street Station adds to the momentum of the revitalization efforts. Also, a new downtown development office and visitor center will open later this year that will house Downtown Mesquite as well as the Mesquite Convention and Visitors Bureau.
“We are inviting the public to join in the ceremonies just as they did during our award-winning groundbreaking event held in 2019,” said Advisory Board Chairman Lisa Haar. “We’re keeping just how people will be involved a secret until that day, but it will definitely be a fun and memorable way to mark the occasion.”
