Historic Intown Neighborhoods

[Spartan]

This thread is for Hampton heights related news, developments, discussions, etc.

First up is an aritcle in today'y paper about Carlisle Street's rennovation plants.

http://www.goupstate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art.../605080337/1051

Over the next 18 months, 6 homes will be rennovated.

"Funding comes from the federal HOME program, administered by the city, as well as a line of credit from the Palmetto Bank and $200,000 from the National Trust for Historic Preservation that can only be used to remodel homes that are pre-sold."

The work is being organized by the Preservation Trust of Spartanburg.

I think this is an important step in the Hamoton Heights revitalization process.

[Spartan]

Also in the paper is a small article discussing the removal of the temp. barriers on that street. The road was blocked off to slow/stop drug trade in the area. The director of the Preservation Trust wants to remove the barriers in favor of a grassy berm. The City is not sure if the street is to be permanently closed.

I think that it should not be closed. I am generally not in favor of removing street connections like that. If you want a cul-de-sac, then there are plenty of subdivisions to choose from.

Here is a map. You can't really see the barriers here, or if you zoom in. But for those of you that are unfamiliar with the area, the barriers are at the intersection with S. Daniel Morgan Ave, so without the barriers, the road has the potential to become a cut-through again. I would rather see the interseciton reworked so that its not easy to drive through, but so residents won't be cut off from the road either.

Here is the article.

[roads-scholar]

Sunday and today's H-J had stories regarding historic Hampton Heights, the The Preservation Trust of Spartanburg, and couples living / moving to Hampton Heights. Today's story was about a couple who recently relocated to the update to work in Greenville and are renovating a home in Hampton Heights. Imagine that, a couple who went to work in Greenville and living in downtown Spartanburg!

[hub-city]

The HJ ran four articles about Hampton Heights. It is great to see the interst in the area. it is also good to see new people coming in who don't have the perceptions of what the community was but rather look to what the community can be.

It is also great to see that they may start targeting the Beaumont Mills and Spartan Mills areas also.

[roads-scholar]

The HJ ran four articles about Hampton Heights. It is great to see the interst in the area. it is also good to see new people coming in who don't have the perceptions of what the community was but rather look to what the community can be.

It is also great to see that they may start targeting the Beaumont Mills and Spartan Mills areas also.

Besides Spartan Mills and Beaumont two other close in neighborhoods deserve attention too. Park Hills and Cleveland Park have mostly good housing stock and are convenient to downtown.

[Spartan]

Besides Spartan Mills and Beaumont two other close in neighborhoods deserve attention too. Park Hills and Cleveland Park have mostly good housing stock and are convenient to downtown.

Here are two articles about Hampton Heights today.

Relocation

Changing a perception

I enjoyed both, because each highlights the positive changes that are occuring in that neighborhood. I hope the Arts Center is converted into condos of some sort. That would be a good re-use for that property.

I also like the idea of other in town neighborhoods being redevloped. Lets not forget about North Dean.

I think that Park Hills will be the most difficult to fix up because of its distance from downtown. Its a little too far to walk at this point, and its proximity to other less desirable parts of town is more obvious there. It will be necessary to revitalize Reidville Rd from W Main to the Beacon to at least help improve the look of the area.

I personally think that the East Peal neighborhood between Wofford and Regional would be an attracive neighborhood for professors, doctors, etc. from these two institutions.

I am personally a fan of re-establishing Hamburg Heights as an identifiable neighborhood. We have a thread about this neighborhood in the forum.

I have heard that they are looking to reinvest in Beaumont Mills, but this is the first that I have heard of a reinvestment in Spartan Mills. Where did you hear about that, and can you provide any other information?

[Spartan]

I was in Spartanburg this weekend, and while I was there I drove through Park Hills. I haven't really spent much time in this neighborhood before, and I was pleasantly surprised.

On the map, it is adjacent to Summerhill, which I have been through more often... so I assumed, incorrectly, that it was similar.

I made it a point to go down Victoria Rd, which was quite nice. It actually felt like Converse Heights until I got to the bottom of the hill. If they could extend that feel into the rest of the neighborhood, I think Park Hills could be a nice neighborhood. The rest of the neighborhood is not quite as nice, but it shows a lot of promise. I hope that the City will focus on this neighborhood after Hampton Heights.

[tdreamweaver]

I'm so glad you got down Victoria Rd. I love it. It has much potential.

Regarding Hampton Heights, I must admit that I cannot be MORE thrilled with our progress over the past couple of years. The revitalization of downtown is really paying off for us. Then the Preservation Trust and especially their Carlisle Street Project. AND the downtown master plan. I went to 4 sessions and each time HH was brought up as one neighborhood already benefitting from the revitilization.

A few weeks ago, when Wofford had their homecoming, they had a downtown street party on Friday night. I walked out on my front porch and could literally hear downtown bustling.

It made my weekend.

[Spartan]

It seems like I keep hearing more about Spartanburg's intown neighborhoods these days.

A recent article in the LINK hints that Beamont Mills may be the next focus area for the Preservation Trust, which has made great strides at bringing back Hampton Heights.

Also- I think that the North Dean neighborhood could see more attention in the coming years if the Master Plan is taken seriously.

[Spartan]

This is a quote from the Herald-Journal. Its pretty self explanatory I think:

"City Council voted unanimously to commit $17,500, taken from hospitality tax funds, in matching funds toward a Community Development Block Grant that will be a "spot of pride," or green space on Carlisle Street, near the intersection of Daniel Morgan Avenue."

This will be a great improvement over the jersey barriers that are there now. Definitely good news for Hampton Heights!

Article

[Spartan]

Between the Wofford and Regional expansions, there will be literally nothing left of the East Pearl neighborhood in the next 5 years.

Wofford hasn't said anything, but IMO it looks like they are going to build some more dorms in this area. If you look at a map, you can clearly see the small neighborhood between their campus and Regional. That map on Google reflects how it used to be. This neighborhood is being squeezed on both ends, and I think that it is doomed to die if college students, professors, doctors, and nurses cannot gentrify and revive this neighborhood.

[Spartan]

The East Pearl neighborhood is seeing its final days as as a residential neighborhood as more and more of its parcels are rezoned for the purposes of Wofford College and Spartanburg Regional. This neighborhood has already been mostly destroyed so Wofford can build more tacky houses and so the hospital can leave the land vacant... because why reuse something in Spartanburg when you can tear it down and leave an empty lot! That is the Spartanburg way after all.

This is the latest: "In other business, council voted unanimously on second and final reading to rezone portions of East Pearl Street, Edgewood Avenue, Thomas Street and McDowell Street from general residential district to general institutional district, as requested by Wofford College. If the college builds on this property, the correct zoning would be general institutional district."

Here is a map. You cen see that McDowell, Edgewood, Jefferson, and Thomas are the streets with the most houses remaining. Everything from Evins St to Dewey St was essentially filled with these houses- (early 20th century bungalows). You can clearly see where Regional and Wofford are expending into this area.

This is a far cry from being a vibrant neighborhood anymore, but I'd like to think it could be preserved to some extent, at least in form if nothing else.

Article

[Spartan]

Apparently Converse Heights is now officially on the National Register of Historic Places. This is news to me because I thought they made it on the list a while back. I was wrong! This is great news though. Its one of the largest sites in the state on the NRHP. The only other neighborhood to have this status in the city Spartanburg is Hampton Heights. I have heard that Glendale might seek the designation- but thats a different topic. The Converse Heights Historic District includes 461 properties and Happy Hollow Park. Its homes were built from 1908 to 1936, and it has been the home of three South Carolina governors. It also has the dubious distinction of being where the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan was made. There is also some talk of getting local historic status as well.

Read more at this link.

Other Spartanburg County historic districts include:

• Converse College Historic District
  
• Glenn Springs Historic District
  
• Hampton Heights Historic District
  
• Hurricane Tavern (aka: Workman Farm) [this one is in Woodruff]
  
• Spartanburg Historic District [historic part of the CBD]
  
• Wofford College Historic District
  

http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/

[Spartan]

I moved some of the discussion from the general Spartanburg Devleopments thread to this one, which is dedicated to all of the in-town neighborhoods. The posts I just moved are mostly on the subject of Carrington.

We have an update on Carrington in the HJ today:

Council approved final reading on an ordinance that rezones the 15 acres off Woodburn Road for the Carrington development. The plan is still for 40 new houses. The area will be rezoned from R 15 single-family residential to R-8 planned development district to allow for flexibility for smaller lots and rear alleyways."

Council Meeting Article

The real alley ways is probably the most exciting news. That means that these houses won't have front-loaded garages. It will be more "traditional" with garages in the back, if at all. This is sounding like it will be a great project for Spartanburg.

[Spartan]

District 7's new charter school finally has a permanent location. Its going to be located in the former Arts building on Spring St. This is a fantastic re-use of this building, since it was originally a school. Wasn't it Erwin HS or something to that effect?

This location will be GREAT for families looking to make the move to Hampton Heights. The current school options for HH are not good, and this will give parents in that neighborhood (and others) a better option for schooling. This is great news for Spartanburg and all of its intown neighborhoods.

[Jael]

Wasn't it Erwin HS or something to that effect?

Jenkins Junior High

[Spartan]

Was it not a high school before that?

[Jael]

Was it not a high school before that?

I think you're thinking of Evans which was the predecessor of SHS. I guess anything is possible, but I wouldn't have thought District 7 would have had enough students for more than 2 high schools then.

[Spartan]

^Yeah thats what I was thinking of.

It wasn't a "District 7" issue, as I think the 1930s predates our current district set up by several decades. Maybe it was the old Carver HS (the former black high school)?

I'll have to do some research on this one. I just don't know much about that building.

[Jael]

Maybe it was the old Carver HS (the former black high school)?

Carver High School was torn down, and Carver Junior High was built in its place at the same site.

According to the Little Theatre History, Jenkins was a junior high in the mid-40's. It's possible that that's incorrect, but when I was at Evan and then SHS in the 60's, I don't remember ever hearing that Jenkins or Cleveland had ever been anything other than junior high schools. I Google'd and found an old postcard from the 40's on eBay for Cleveland, but nothing turned up for Jenkins. Sorry not to be more help.

[Spartan]

Well there's also the distinct possiblity that I'm wrong

[Hemlock86]

Well there's also the distinct possiblity that I'm wrong

Jael is correct about Carver. The new Carver JR High is where Old Carver High School used to be. ( Jessie Jackson used to come over from Greenville to play football there in the 50's. Carver had a great marching band too and were always a hit in the Christmas Parade) but I digress. Carver merged with Spartanburg High in 1971 thus becoming the Vikings ( Go Vikings). Jenkins Jr High was located where the Horace C Smith building is now just south of the Skylar Building on S Church Street. The stone wall by the sidewalk is all that is left. Cleveland was a Jr High but is now Cleveland Elementary. I thnk the Building in question for the Charter School was always an Elementary School up til the Arts Partnership bought it, but I can't remember the name.

[Sparkleman]

Ok, my Mom was a teacher at both Jenkins Jr High and later Carver Jr High and here is what she says the deal was. The proposed charter school will be housed in the old Southside Elementary School. This was the whites only elementary school and the blacks went to Mary H Wright. The whites went to Jr High at Jenkins and the blacks went to Carver which housed Jr High and High Scool in the same place. The whites went to high school at the old Evans Jr High which was called Spartan High and they were known as the Crimson Tide in those days. When we finally got segregation, I assume Jenkins was torn down and Carver HS was torn down to create the new Carver Jr High. The new Spartan High was built on Dupree Dr and the old SHS became Evans Jr High and they were they Eagles. This is where I went to Jr High for 2 years and then did 1 year at McCracken.

[Spartan]

Ok, so the old Arts Center was formerly Southside Elementary?

[hub-city]

That's what my folks said also. Southside Elementary.