Spartanburg City News

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A history of Downtown Spartanburg, part 1 Dec 21, 2017

Show notes

As we're heading towards the end of another spectacular year of the biggest boom Downtown Spartanburg has experienced in anyone's memory, we thought this might be a good moment to get together with two of the most knowledgeable local historians we know, Brad Steineke, Assistant Director of Local History at the Spartanburg County Public Library and Phillip Stone, Archivist at Wofford College, to try to contextualize this current moment in our urban core's history by taking a look at how we got here, starting with the construction of Spartanburg's first county courthouse and running through to our present day. Of course, there's no way we could ever get to all of that in one episode, so on today's podcast, we've got the first episode of our two-part journey, taking a look at downtown from its beginning to the textile boom times of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Little River Roasting to open second downtown location in Montgomery Building Dec 14, 2017

Show notes

Local favorite Little River Roasting has announced plans for a second downtown location to be housed inside the historic Montgomery Building once renovations are completed in October 2018. The new storefront will join their original downtown location at 188 W Main Street, which opened its doors in 2010 and a drive-thru location on E Main Street. The move comes on the heels of a pair of other downtown coffee shop announcements in 2017, with Greenville-based Spill the Beans announcing a location inside the historic Aug W. Smith building, currently being restored, and Starbucks announcing a new storefront on W Main. Today on the Podcast, we're talking with Daniel Hagerman and Tyler Gibbs of Little River about the planned expansion, and we take stock of both the local coffee scene and the downtown culture that's grown up in Spartanburg since Little River's opening seven years ago.

What can we learn from examining Reconstruction-era violence in Spartanburg County? Nov 30, 2017

Show notes

Last month, a local theater project, curated by Anna Abhau Elliott and Crystal Tennille Irby, highlighted one of Spartanburg's least understood historical periods, Reconstruction. "Untitled Reconstruction Project" is based on 1871 Congressional Joint Select Committee testimony of residents living in Spartanburg County who were terrorized by the Ku Klux Klan. For the project, interviews were adapted from the committee's report, part of a Federal investigation in which three Northern Congressmen interviewed freedmen, political organizers, white, black, rich, poor, town folks, and country folks throughout the South. Reconstruction in the Upstate was a bloody time when the Ku Klux Klan and other paramilitary groups terrorized African Americans through beatings, lynchings, and intimidation, all with the intent of stripping away political power and ensuring that recently freed former slaves would remain second-class citizens. Ultimately, the tactics were successful, helping to initiate an era of Jim Crow segregation and disenfranchisement that would last for generations, influencing politics throughout the South to this day. Today on the podcast, we're talking with Elliott, Irby, and the Spartanburg County Public Library's Brad Steineke about their experiences with Untitled Reconstruction Project, the reaction from audience members who saw the performance, and the connections between that time in Spartanburg's history and our present day. Be sure to also check out our first podcast with Elliott and Irby, recorded before the performances, for more about the project.

How potential federal tax changes could stifle Spartanburg development Nov 22, 2017

Show notes

It won't merit mention in national stories about proposed federal tax reform legislation that recently passed the House, but for folks in Spartanburg excited for historic redevelopments like the Montgomery Building project and community enhancements like the Northside's Franklin School, changes may be coming that would severely curtail similar projects in the future. A pair of tax credits that have been frequently used by to stimulate development in Spartanburg, the Historic Tax Credit and the New Markets Tax Credit, would be eliminated under the version of the federal tax reform bill currently being considered. Underscoring the importance of using such credits to stimulate investment, Montgomery Building developer James Bakker told City Council at their most recent meeting that Historic Tax Credits "bring the deal to a level that's affordable," and that in their absence, Montgomery's redevelopment would not have been feasible. Today on the podcast, Assistant City Manager Chris Story helps break down the proposed changes and what they would likely mean for Spartanburg. Listen for info, and then contact Congressman Trey Gowdy and Senators Tim Scott and Lindsey Graham to share your concerns about what losing these credits could do to harm our city's development efforts.

'A Taste of Spartanburg' showcases local chefs and farmers Nov 16, 2017

Show notes

We've talked a lot about Spartanburg's emerging reputation as a foodie town on the podcast. Over the last few years, our local restaurant scene has taken off in ways few people would've imagined a decade ago, with new and exciting concepts opening with almost metronomic regularity. Against that backdrop, a book celebrating Spartanburg's food culture seems perfectly timed, and it's no surprise that the folks at Hub City Writers Project were plugged in enough to make that happen. A Taste of Spartanburg: Local Chefs, Local Farmers, Local Recipes is a celebration of Spartanburg's emerging foodie and farm culture, highlighting a mix of local food producers who uphold the upcountry small farming tradition and a talented and personable assortment of local chefs. The book also features recipes that speak to our South Carolina cultural heritage: peach biscuits, Carolina red barbecue, stew meat; as well the cuisine that reflects our international flair: apple strudel, spaghetti carbonara, Thai steak and more. Today on the podcast, we're talking with Betsy Teter, Editor & Director of Development with Hub City Writers Project and Amanda Richardson, co-author of the book and founder of the local food blog, Hub City Bites.

Hub-Bub, College Town partner on downtown utility box public art project Nov 09, 2017

Show notes

We've talked a lot about growth in downtown Spartanburg on our City Podcast. We've talked about restaurants, retail shops, historic redevelopment projects, and new construction galore. Whatever sector you care to look at, there's an example of unprecedented growth to be found. Public art in our downtown has been no exception to that trend. Projects like Seeing Spartanburg in a New Light and Lighten Up Spartanburg have joined numerous murals and sculptures all over our downtown in recent years, adding to our vibrancy and enhancing the quality of place for everyone who visits. And today on the podcast, we're taking a look at a project that's using perhaps the most mundane of all possible canvasses to add some more color to our downtown, while promoting the seven colleges in our area. Eric Kocher with Hub-Bub and Naomi Sargent join us today to talk about this unique partnership and give us the lowdown on how these simple utility boxes are now being transformed into works of art. Listen below for more

STEAM Garden planned for Spartanburg's Southside Nov 01, 2017

Show notes

An innovative new kind of community garden is coming to Spartanburg's Southside, starting with a kick-off event to be held this Friday, Nov. 3, 3 p.m.–6 p.m. Daniel Zongrone was awarded the 2017 ArtsXcelerator Grant from the Chapman Cultural Center to install the edible art garden, which will be located on the corner of S Church Street and Marion Avenue. Dubbed a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) garden, the project will feature educational components in partnership with Spartanburg School District 7 and a unique gazebo design that will collect rainwater via a slanted roof, diverting the water through a pipe inside a large metal spring into a reservoir that will be used to water the garden. Today on the podcast, we're talking with Zongrone and Nancy Stewart, who will oversee the project's education component.

Details on the planned 200-unit apartment development coming to downtown Spartanburg Oct 25, 2017

Show notes

A challenging seven-acre lot behind the Chapman Cultural Center that had been vacant for years is slated to become home to the largest apartment development in downtown Spartanburg's history after City Council unanimously approved a development agreement with Forge Capital Partners, LLC of Tampa, Florida to construct a $30 million complex. Preliminary site plans show a mix of three and four-story buildings in the seven-building luxury complex, with a 300-space parking area centered between. Today on the podcast, Assistant City Manager Chris Story sits down to give us details on the development agreement, the proposed project, and where this transformative project fits in with the accelerating growth we've been seeing in downtown Spartanburg over the past several years.

Untitled Reconstruction Project coming to Spartanburg Downtown Library, Oct 20–22 Oct 05, 2017

Show notes

As it is in much of the South, Reconstruction is one of Spartanburg's least understood historical periods. A tumultuous time that is often glossed over, sandwiched between the Civil War and our area's well-covered industrialization and rise as a textile manufacturing powerhouse, Reconstruction in the Upstate was a bloody time when the Ku Klux Klan and other paramilitary groups terrorized African Americans through beatings, lynchings, and intimidation, all with the intent of stripping away political power and ensuring that recently freed former slaves would remain second-class citizens. Ultimately, the tactics were successful, helping to initiate an era of Jim Crow segregation and disenfranchisement that would last for generations. Now a local theater project, curated by Anna Abhau Elliott and Crystal Tennille Irby, seeks to tell part of that story. "Untitled Reconstruction Project" is a performance based on 1871 Congressional Joint Select Committee testimony of residents living in Spartanburg County who were terrorized by the Ku Klux Klan. For the project, interviews were adapted from the committee's report, part of a Federal investigation in which three Northern Congressmen interviewed freedmen, political organizers, white, black, rich, poor, town folks, and country folks throughout the South. Today on the podcast, we're talking with Elliott and Irby about the project and about this seldom understood time in Spartanburg's history.

Chapman Cultural Center to hold 10th anniversary celebration, Oct. 1 Sep 27, 2017

Show notes

It's been 10 years since Chapman Cultural Center first opened its doors on St John Street, anchoring the northern end of downtown and establishing itself as an epicenter for arts and culture in Spartanburg from the very beginning. Today, with 350,000 visitors annually, it's easy to see how the vision and investment from private and public partners has paid dividends for our entire community. On Sunday, October 1, 1–5 p.m. the community is invited to come out and celebrate this milestone for the local arts community with live music from local artists, food trucks on the Chapman campus, and programming from their various partner organizations. Today on the podcast, we're talking with Chapman Cultural Center President & CEO Jennifer Evins about the event and the history and future of this crucially important Spartanburg cultural resource. Listen below for more!

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