Preservation Trust hits the Big 1-0

October marks the tenth anniversary of the Preservation Trust of Spartanburg, Inc.

Former and current board members, professionals from the Spartanburg community, home buyers, neighbors, and friends joined together on Friday, October 24 to celebrate the accomplishments of the non-profit organization.

The event, held at Hub-Bub’s Showroom, featured a presentation by Executive Director Kristi K. Webb to long-term Preservation Trust volunteer Linda Bilanchone, who was present to accept the award. Webb also honored Susan Willis Dunlap, the one of the organization’s founders and first board president. Dunlap’s mother, Mary Willis, was on hand to accept the honor on her daughter’s behalf. Two trees will be planted at the Hampton Heights Historic District neighborhood greenspace in December and markers will designate the service Bilanchone and Dunlap have both dedicated to the Preservation Trust.

William Cribb catered the event, and Liz Blanchard created the three cakes. A photographic slide show of past projects and events ran for guests. Approximately 100 supporters attended the event.

Envisioned by former City Manager Roy Lane and established in 1998, The Preservation Trust of Spartanburg, Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) historic preservation organization. It is also designated as a CHDO (Community Housing Development Organization), which enables the Trust to receive federal funding for homeownership initiatives. The mission of the Preservation Trust is “preserving historic Spartanburg.” The Preservation Trust is a city-wide organization that is empowered to improve housing stock in locally designated historic districts.

Preservation Roadtrip to Greensboro, North Carolina

Last week, Trust staff took a roadtrip to participate in the yearly conference of the Southeast Chapter, Society of Architectural Historians (SESAH), held in Greensboro, North Carolina. We love a good roadtrip (despite gas prices) to a city we have never been, and Greensboro proved to be rich in history and somewhat preservation-minded. It had three historic districts, a walkable downtown with a fabulous Kress building and historic Woolworth store (made famous for its lunch counter sit-in of1960, sparking numerous other sit-ins during the Civil Rights Movement).

The SESAH awarded the Trust their "Best of the South" award for the Carlisle Street Initative at the business luncheon on October 4. What an incredible honor!

The most rewarding experience of the trip, however, was our visit with Jon Enos of Architectural Salvage of Greensboro (ASG). This salvage store is a non-profit project of Preservation Greensboro, Inc (also supported by the City of Greensboro). Not only is ASG an outstanding example of the deconstruction/salgvage movement, but volunteer Jon Enos has also been a wealth of knowledge, allowing for our staff to pick his brain about their operations so that we can make the Spartanburg Architectural Salvage even better. He spent the better part of an afternoon walking us through their 25,000 square foot building, fielding questions, letting us admire Bessie (their 1955 Ford pickup truck and mobile advertising), showing us tools and how to use them, discussing prices and policies...an absolutely wonderful opportunity with an incredibly insightful individual. Seeing the success of ASG inspired us to think big and get creative! Hopefully you will see some evidence of our learning at the nest SAS opening on November 1. We are "recylcing" a bunch of ASG's ideas to implement in our operation and offer a huge thank you to them for sharing their successes, materials, and enthusiasm.

If you are ever in Greensboro, stop in and see ASG (during Friday or Saturday business hours or by appoinment) at 300 Bellemeade Street (in the former Clock Museum downtown). You'll be glad for the detour through old doors, windows, sinks, flooring and more.

Overall, we enjoyed our short trip to the unique city of Greensboro. We allowed ourselves to get lost in Greensboro historic residential districts, driving slowly to take pictures and note pleasing paint schemes and unique styles....tourists all the way! If anything, let us encourage you to get out and explore a town or city that is unknown to you. Visit the downtown or historic areas, ask questions and get inspired!

Spartanburg to be 2nd SC City to Participate in National Park(ing) Day September 19

SPARTANBURG – The number of downtown parks in America will increase dramatically this September.

Friday, September 19, 2008 is National Park(ing) Day, and public parking spots nationwide will become temporary public parks. The project is sponsored by The Trust for Public Land (TPL), a national conservation nonprofit.

National Park(ing) Day is an annual event celebrating parks by creating temporary parks in public parking spaces. The goals, according to organizers, are to celebrate parks and promote the need for more parks in America’s cities.
Supporters in cities nationwide, including New York, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis, Washington D.C, Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, have announced participation.

Spartanburg will join these cities, as the second municipality in South Carolina to participate in Park(ing) Day. In downtown Spartanburg, organizers will put together a uniquely landscaped Park(ing) park located adjacent to 127 East Main Street, near the corner of Church and Main Streets, from 11:30 – 1:30pm. The mini-park will provide downtown employees and visitors with a workday break. Seating, potted plants, and music will create a relaxing atmosphere for all. Story time will occur for anyone wishing to listen at 12:30pm.

“Only .0007% of Spartanburg County is open space and public lands. Access to open space is a vital component for our community’s quality of life,” said Cate Ryba, one of the event organizers and a city resident. “We want to help raise awareness of the issue, and add to the efforts of many organizations already working towards more open space and parkland in Spartanburg.”

Spartanburg area organizers hope that the event will grow, enticing neighboring cities to participate next year.

“I am excited about the momentum and energy in downtown Spartanburg,” said Laura Ringo, an organizer and resident of the downtown neighborhood Hampton Heights. “As part of the revitalization, I feel that it is important to remember that open space is a key factor for a thriving downtown. Park(ing) Day is a great way to remind our community and its leaders of this.”

Photos from other cities during last year’s event, as well as a full list of cities with maps and details is available online at www.tpl.org/parkingday.

In 2007, National Park(ing) Day spawned more than 200 new parks in more than fifty cities nationwide and around the world. See coverage from CNN.

Park(ing) Day Spartanburg is organized by a group of city residents interested in a variety of endeavors to enhance the quality of life in our city; these interests include Arts, Education, Historic Preservation, Economic Development, Active Living, Local Farming, Early Childhood Development and Tourism.

THIS PLACE MATTERS campaign

This Arts and Crafts home built in 1916 by former South Carolina Governor Ibra Charles Blackwood (1931 to 1935) is facing demolition. It is a 3 bedroom 2 bath bungalow with extensive damage inside and out stemming from years of neglect.
Pending demolition orders from the City of Spartanburg spurred the Preservation Trust of Spartanburg into action to purchase and restore the neglected home. The Trust took possession of the home on September 10, 2008.

The Blackwood bungalow is part of the Hampton Heights Historic District in downtown Spartanburg, where in the past 10 years the Trust has completed close to forty home restorations, attracting new home owners to the downtown district. The architecture significance of the home and Hampton Heights’ designation as a national and local district of historic significance along with the fact that it has a prominent former owner makes it worth saving.

October 13, 1931, Blackwood helped the Charleston City Council to pass the first Historic Preservation Ordinance in the nation. This fight for preserving our history and historic places was important to Governor Blackwood and it is very important to us.

Spartanburg Architectural Salvage OPEN TOMORROW!

Spartanburg Architectural Salvage is OPEN TOMORROW, Saturday, September 6th from 10am to 2pm. It has new stock including several new doors (two sets of french doors), a new mantel, iron work, pickets and rails....

We also have Spartanburg Architectural Salvage t-shirts on sale for $15.00.

Get there early to get the good deals!

We have some homework to do...

Trust staff admits we need some schooling when it comes to mill villages. An architect friend suggested we read Building the Workingman's Paradise: The Design of American Company Towns by Margaret Crawford. The book arrived in the mail today, and we thought this first step at learning was worthy of its own blog post.
Part of the fabric of Spartanburg's past, the textile mill industry operated as virtual self sustaining communities as it developed housing, installed utilities, and ran its own general store and post office. Spartanburg, like many upstate towns, was at one time comprised of multiple working mills. We have lost many of the mills themselves to deconstruction, fire, and the like. We have lost some of the mill housing, too, virtually erasing chapters in our rich history.
As you can imagine, the Trust would like to save the history that Spartanburg has left. Areas like Pacolet, Glendale, and in the city, Beaumont Mill, are places worthy of investment. Each area has incredible attributes and community leadership who value "sense of place". We find more and more that people want to be connected to their community; they want to know the history of their home and community, and they want to find their role in its past, present and future.
As the Trust moves forward into its future, don't be surprised if our direction meanders through a mill community near you....after some schooling, of course.

Preservation across the nation...our board members get out there!

Not everyone is lamenting the gas prices and staying at home this summer. We recently had a member of our board (Patrick Armstrong) travel to Montana. Lucky for us, Patrick packed his Preservation Trust t-shirt in his suitcase to wear while on the trip (below).This got our wheels turning...what if we asked our staff, board members and friends to do the same the next time they travel and/or visit a landmark?

So, this is our request...support the mission and work of the Trust in a wearable form (cost of t-shirt $15), take a photo of yourself in a locale other than the great City of Spartanburg, email it to us, and watch it pop up on blogger.

If you need a t-shirt, let us know. Labor Day is coming up, so we hope you get out there and see the sights looking spiffy in your Trust T! Happy travels!