The Montgomery Building

[Spartan]

Mr Cleveland is at it again. This time let the power get cut off in the Montgomery Building. It affected all of his tennants who had to rush out of the building before the elevators shut down. Now, I don't claim to be the smartest guy in the world, but it seems to me that paying one's electricity bill should come pretty near the top of the list of bills needed to be paid.

In other bad news, it appears that the restoration efforts for that building (to be converted into mixed residential, etc) came to a hault two weeks ago, thanks again thanks to Mr Cleveland.

Article

[goodbye]

In this week's Juornal there is an article about the Easton Marketplace. it complements the developers on their adjustments into making it more than just a shopping village. They are impriving the looks of the entrance, using the existing ponds and more green space. Sounds very promising.

TBAs:

The Montgomery building sold for 1.9 mil and while no concrete plans yet, there is a lot of talk and ides floating about...

Lots of interest in the palmetto building that Longleaf bought earlier this month with lofts as the main component...

The city has some new downtown maps with retail, hiking, and biking trails listed. (haven't seen one yet)

Is there an old theatre in the Montgomery Building, or is that in another structure? I have heard that it is being completely restored and already booked for the next two years. A coffee vender from Greenville (Carolina Coffee Roasters?) plans to be part of the project.

[Spartan]

Yes. Its underneath the main structure. This is the first I've heard of such a rennovation. Last I heard, they were going to remove the theater- I very distinctly remember a rant about how Spartanburg was allowing a another huge piece of its history to be razed. Part of the problem is that it was owned by a developer who couldnt afford to pay the bills, so it just sat there. Its been bought by someone with money though, and no plans have been officially announced. But if what you say is true, then that is probably the most exciting development of the year for Spartanburg. thanks for the update!

[goodbye]

Is there an old theatre in the Montgomery Building, or is that in another structure? I have heard that it is being completely restored and already booked for the next two years. A coffee vender from Greenville (Carolina Coffee Roasters?) plans to be part of the project.

The company is called Palmetto Bean Company. They have a location in the Hughes Main Library in downtown Greenville, and plan on an additional location somewhere on Main Street. The Spartanburg location sounds like a unique opportunity to get their feet wet in another market.

[Spartan]

Thats good news. There are many companies in Greenville that choose Spartanburg for an additional location. This sounds like a good one. I really hope that this turns out to be something awesome. That company may or may not realize it, but they are siting on a potential gold mine. This is the only theater of this kind left in the Carolinas (I think), and it would be a 4th performance venue in that part of downtown. A very unique opportunity.

[Spartan]

Good news for the Montgomery Building- it seems that the new owners, Cypress Lending Group, are committed to moving forward with the project and doing something good for the community. There wasn't much else that was useful in the article, but its good to know that the future of the Montgomery building is more stable these days.

HJ Article

[krazeeboi]

That's good to know. That building is too prominent to be sitting empty. It really has the potential to kick things in its part of downtown into a higher gear.

[spartanburgh]

The article on the Montgomery Building also said two of the lesser known partners in the previous group were still interested in the project. I have seen a rendering of the building and the plans they have and they are awsome. It would really give a lot of energy to that area of Spartanburg. I just hope they can move forward soon. If the old plans are used they should be able to proceed in a shorter time frame.

[Spartan]

Fantastic news! Can you share any of the details of the plans or describe the renderings?

[spartanburgh]

The plan I saw had inclosed the exterior stairs on the side and back so that the building actually looked larger. This also removed what has to be the most unsightly part of the building along with the closed in first floor.The ornamentation stayed intact and the ground floor was all opened up reminding me of the Grove Arcade in Asheville. The only thing I didn't think fit was the color was changed to a very light yellow. It made it look like it belonged on the beach in Ft. Lauderdale instead of Spartanburg. Over all it is a huge improvement and you would think the building was just built except for the ornamentation that you rarely see nowdays.

[hub-city]

Thanks for the description. Did you see anything about the theatre inside? We've heard all sorts of rumors.

[Spartan]

Yeah Skyliner mentioned a revitalization of the Carolina Theater.......

[spartanburgh]

I didn't see any inside elevations of the Montgomery Building. Every thing I saw was from the exterior but, to do that extensive of a job on the exterior, the interior would have to be completely redone in my opinion. I really hope this develops because I really can't imagine anyone else doing a better job with the look of the building.

[Spartan]

There were several posts scattered around abour the same thing, so since we know there are plans to revive the Montgomery building that DONT involve Arthur Cleveland, it seems to me that its relevant to have a thread dedicated to it!

So, with that said here is a picture of the building today:

And what it used to look like (what I hope they are trying to restore) Notice the copper bay windows and street retail awnings and windows and what not. This is from the opposite angle as my pictures, but still good conceptually:

[krazeeboi]

The building looked good back in its heyday. I hope renovation plans call for sprucing it up a bit aesthetically.

[hub-city]

The new owners of the Montgomery building are taking a "wait and see" attitude right now for the best use of the historic building. They want to see how the USC Upstate proposal pans out and how they can fit their plans with other development in the area. They do sound very commited to doing it right and say they have the capital to do make it work. I'm excited about the prospects.

ARTICLE from HJ

[Spartan]

I think thats an ok attitude for the short term. Waiting on the USC Upstate campus makes sense. But I hope that they also recognize that the Montgomery Building itself is a huge anchor in downtown, and it has the ability to cause change itself.

[Spartan]

A non-update on the Montgomery Building... there is nothing new to report. The developer who bought the building- Cypress Lending Group- does not have any formal plans for the building. They are "exploring options" from student housing to office space. They've applied to have the building placed on the National Register of Historic Places, and they say Spartanburg will be pleased with the end result. So it sounds like something will happen, but there is just no word on what that will actually be.

Article

[Sparkleman]

There is an article in the SHJ today about the company that owns the Montgomery Bldg and there plans to find a tenant(s). There is also talk of possibly putting some type of student housing in there to support "The George". Its also going to cost about $20 million to get the building back up to code. What I'd be interested to know is why relocate someone from out of town to the Montgomery Bldg when ESH headquarters will be available by September? Its eons nicer and ready to move in. Granted its not set up to house students, but neither is the Montgomery Bldg.

SHJ Montgomery Bldg

[Spartan]

Student housing makes sense at that location as long as its marketed towards all college students in the area. As USC Upstate grows, I'd like to see more housing near campus. While I recognize it will always be more of a "commuter campus," if done correctly there can be enough residential development out there to make it feel more like a more traditional college campus.

[westsider28]

Major news this morning. A Greenville-based investor is interested in renovating the Montgomery Building for commercial office space, student housing, and retail space. They plan to restore the building's facade and floorplan as well as preserving the historic Carolina Theatre. The plan is to have work done by Autumn 2013.

Herald-Journal article

I'm cautiously optimistic about this. Other proposals have fallen apart in the past, and there's still some financing to get worked out here. However, if this comes to fruition, it will be awesome. This project has the potential to create a huge positive impact downtown.

[spartanburgh]

This project has the potential to make the largest impact on downtown in many years. It would put people on the street day and night, remove a huge dead spot and maybe get downtown over the hump and achieve the critical mass needed to attract further development. when you include the other activity going on.

-Monsoon reopening

-A new restaurant in the old Justin's building

-Couture Closet moving to the old Main St. Mall area

-The Red Cross filling a large office space

-ESA building filling up once again

-The opening of the new market in the old Bishop Furniture building

-Madd Max recent opening and creating night life on the East end of Downtown

-VCOM adding 150 + students each year for a total of 600 +

-The new Hub Bub grocery soon to open (hopefully downtown)

-SCC to open an new branch downtown

-Meeting Street academy soon to open in the old Broadwalk building

-Others?

Edited February 19, 2012 by spartanburgh

[vicupstate]

I get to visit DT Sburg about once a year, and did so just a week ago. There has been a slow but steady improvement over time, with the pace picking up in the last few years. Having the Montgomery building renovated and occupied would be very momentuous to the overall progress. I really hope it comes off this time.

If it does, then the next order of business is to work on Main Street proper, specifically the serpentine section.

[Spartan]

Wow this is great news!

As with most projects lately I'll believe it when I see it, but the idea of the Montgomery being refurbished to its original grandeur is very exciting. I'll really believe it once they secure financing, the property changes hands, and the City approves some plans.

[hub-city]

Here is the website for the project. Hope it becomes a reality!!

http://www.montgomerybuilding.net/