Greenville:1999

[distortedlogic]

I recently found a copy of "A Guide to Greenville" that the Gville news put out back in the early part of 1999. I had saved it, and was looking through it after running across it again. I wanted to share some of the many changes that are very apparent since that time. Maybe we can all better appreciate the incredible growth our city has undergone in such a relatively short time. To most of us (except perhaps gman) 1999 seems like a few weeks ago. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but consider the following:

In 1999:

-The 1998 Gville county population estimate was 353,845 (2005: 407,000)

-The 66th largest school district in the nation served more than 58,000 students (today I believe it is the 56th largest, at nearly 67,000 students)

-Greenville Tech had a mere 9,500 students (today more than 15,000)

-GSP's runway was only 7,600 feet long, and American Eagle had yet to offer flights to Chicago or

Dallas.

-The Poinsett Hotel had been shut down for many years, and had no visitors on the horizon.

-The Poinsett Plaza was only a set of blueprints.

-The beautiful reedy falls were covered and forgotten by the camperdown bridge

-The main library stood beside the Art Museum

-No history museum, childrens museum, or Bob Jones ext

-The median home price for GSP was $113,100.

-Cherrydale was marked only by steel beams and anticipation.

-A dying Greenville Mall, thus no Magnolia Park

-No Greenridge

-No Point

-No CU-ICAR

- The Southern Connector had not yet seen it's first registered toll.

-N. Greenville College was only a few hundred strong

-No Peacock

-No Pinnacle on Main

-No Acadia or Pendleton West

-No West End Field, or Feild House Condos

-No 500 N. Main Condos

-N0 George Hincapie or Gary Player

-No S. Financial HQ

-Freedom Weekend Aloft had just moved to Anderson

-The Bilo Center was brand spanking new.

-I-385 was a slow going 4 lanes

-White horse rd was only 4 lanes

-Gville county schools were all older than the hills, and portables outnumbered the students.

-No Artisphere

-Gville had never hosted NCAA tournaments, or USPRO Cycling

-The Patewood medical campus looked like "out in the country"

-The Haywood Mall renovations were still years away.

-No Bookends Downtown

-No Condos at Cleveland Park

-MainSt went only from the Daniel Building to the Army-Navy Store

-Old GSP interchange from I-85

-No SATSAIR at Gville DT Airport

-An aging and almost bankrupt PEC

-No RiverPlace or DT Hampton Inn

-No Cherrydale Cinemas

-No Allegiant Air

-GTA buses with a million miles on them

-Countles new restaurants and retail stores

I guess this list could go on and on (feel free to add other major ones), but it is pretty neat to see how much we have grown in such a relatively short time. Not to mention all the current proposals and rumors. As others have said before, this may all be just the tip of the iceberg.

[GvilleSC]

-The Wachovia building was in a forest sitting back off of Main.

-No Verdae Development.

[mallguy]

Greenville Mall wasn't dying in 1999; it was only 4 years old (since the remodel) and had three anchors and most all of its in-line tenants then; I shopped at that mall constantly then. It wasn't thriving, but it hadn't spiraled towards death. Plus, McAlister Square was still alive then, missing only its Dillard's.

The mall scene was better in 1999 than it is today, in my view.

[vicupstate]

McAlister was dated and had below average tenants. There was no mistaking where it was headed. Greenville Mall never had much success before it's decline either. It's peak was short-lived and not too 'high' to begin with. The replacements for both malls will no doubt be an improvement IMO.

[gs3]

Great thread DL! WOW! So much, so much great stuff!

Although I didn't live here until 2002, I have some to add:

Two lane Woodruff Road

No Hubbell Lighting Headquarters

No downtown offices from Clemson

Retail has vastly improved, while we've lost a mall, it's been replaced by more upscale retail in multiple locations

No Poinsett Corners

No chain of Bloom stores located in multiple locations

Publix was just entering the market

No West End retail / restaurants

No University Center at McAlister Square

I-85 between Greenville and Spartanburg still had 4 lane sections

No BMW Research Center

No Timken Research Center

No on campus housing for Greenville Tech

No relandscape of Pleasantburg

No Carolina First Center (Expo) addition and remodel

And here is one I have a question about.....Governors School. What year was it built? The buildings seemed pretty new when I moved here.

[maninthepark]

The campus was completed in 1999.

[GE Turbine Man]

I thought someone told me the governors school is in the old Furman Campus and buildings?

[whitehourseview]

I thought someone told me the governors school is in the old Furman Campus and buildings?

[maninthepark]

I thought someone told me the governors school is in the old Furman Campus and buildings?

[whitehourseview]

It's on the site of the old Furman campus,but the old buildings were torn down

and new ones built.I cant remember what year it was but it was torn down when

they built Bell Tower [County Square].

[johnboyanoski]

Don't forget in 1999, Greenville and the rest of the globe was on verge of utter chaos due to Y2K.

[goodbye]

I recently found a copy of "A Guide to Greenville" that the Gville news put out back in the early part of 1999. I had saved it, and was looking through it after running across it again. I wanted to share some of the many changes that are very apparent since that time. Maybe we can all better appreciate the incredible growth our city has undergone in such a relatively short time. To most of us (except perhaps gman) 1999 seems like a few weeks ago. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but consider the following:

...

I guess this list could go on and on (feel free to add other major ones), but it is pretty neat to see how much we have grown in such a relatively short time. Not to mention all the current proposals and rumors. As others have said before, this may all be just the tip of the iceberg.

[distortedlogic]

I remember that building proposal Skyliner, and was also disappointed about that one. Tobe sure, Greenville has let a few get away, but just in looking at all the pluses, they seem to far outweigh.

In Addition to the ones gsupstate added, I remembered a couple more biggies:

- No MCBee station (how could I have forgotten, forgive me erm )

-No Pete Hollis Blvd

-No bike lanes DT

-I don't think the BMW Charity Tournament had started then

the list goes on and on...

As someone else said, a very exciting time to be in Greenville, I doubt there has ever been as much activity. And just think about all of the things that might happen over the next 8 years!

[mallguy]

McAlister was dated and had below average tenants. There was no mistaking where it was headed. Greenville Mall never had much success before it's decline either. It's peak was short-lived and not too 'high' to begin with. The replacements for both malls will no doubt be an improvement IMO.

[gs3]

In Addition to the ones gsupstate added, I remembered a couple more biggies:

- No MCBee station (how could I have forgotten, forgive me erm )

-No Pete Hollis Blvd

-No bike lanes DT

-I don't think the BMW Charity Tournament had started then

the list goes on and on...

[goodbye]

This thread forced me to get out my stash of old Greenville Business and Living magazines, as well as other publications from around that same time period. There are so many additional items to add here, but I'll have to hold off until another day. One of the main downtown developments under construction at that time was the last highrise ever built in Greenville, the 200,000 square foot Poinsett Plaza Office Building. It was also a coordination with the Westin Poinsett Hotel, a new municipal parking garage, and the Court Square renovation. Nearby, Kent Court (old cigar factory) was also undergoing a major renovation.

[gs3]

This thread forced me to get out my stash of old Greenville Business and Living magazines, as well as other publications from around that same time period. There are so many additional items to add here, but I'll have to hold off until another day. One of the main downtown developments under construction at that time was the last highrise ever built in Greenville, the 200,000 square foot Poinsett Plaza Office Building. It was also a coordination with the Westin Poinsett Hotel, a new municipal parking garage, and the Court Square renovation. Nearby, Kent Court (old cigar factory) was also undergoing a major renovation.

[whitehourseview]

Cool, thanks for the info Skyliner. Never knew Kent Court was a cigar factory.

[Greenville]

Cool, thanks for the info Skyliner. Never knew Kent Court was a cigar factory.

[goodbye]

That is the Legg-Mason building, yes?

[gs3]

I had a grandmother work in the cigar factory back in the day, I believe.

[distortedlogic]

One thing that I would say has been a negative to list - not that I am trying to be negative, but I clearly remember this one - was the plan for a 15-story tower to be built on the former site of the Greenville Memorial Auditorium. The articles published during that time said it would sport a "dramatic rooftop structure."

[whitehourseview]

Growing up further in the deep South, I forget this area is closer to tobacco country. Did Greenville have any other cigar / cigarette factories?

[gs3]

No "Project Skyline" in 1999.

[whitehourseview]

None that I am aware of. I'm sure there were the occasional small shops, but nothing large scale that I'm aware of.