Of Downtown Greenville, Sc
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PROFILE SERIES O 44 DOWNTOWN RISING O 52 THE KEYS O 54 FOCAL POINT This isn’t your average downtown. This isn’t a block or two of renovated ware- O 56 PUTTING THE GREEN IN GREENVILLE houses, pricey bistros, and contemporary art galleries. What Greenville, O 64 BEST OF South Carolina, has done to its downtown makes other cities green with envy O 70 HISTORY — think inventive restaurants, locally owned boutiques, a stellar arts scene, and a 30-acre park with pedestrian bridge and waterfall. (And that’s barely skimming the surface.) Located just two hours from Atlanta and Charlotte, this is one cool city, with forward-thinking leaders and a clear-cut plan that has transformed downtown into the destination it is today. KEYS TO THE CITY OF O O O JOSH JONES BY PHOTO DOWNTOWN SC Greenville • 42 • • 43 • KEYS TO THE CITY OF DOWNTOWN GREENVILLE, SC Greenville’s skyline You have time to ponder many things while companies doing business in Greenville know that against the Blue Ridge sitting in Atlanta traffi c. Things like, “What I don’t?” To learn what Greenville, South Carolina Mountains; free trolley on Main Street do Michelin North America, Milliken, General can do for the future of your business, visit Downtown Electric, BMW and the other 120 Fortune 500 www.ThriveDowntown.com or call 864.239.3735. What’s the difference between RisingThe transformation continues Greenville and Atlanta? BY LYNN SELDON We’ll give you a couple of hours fish eye studios, to think about it. f rances Jumansz xpect world-class cul- Performing Arts brought people ture, superb shopping, farther south. When local res- and a flavorful dining taurateur Carl Sobocinski opened scene on Main Street in Soby’s restaurant on Main in the Edowntown Greenville, South Car- late ’90s, and the renovated Westin olina. How happenin’ is it? The Poinsett opened across the street American Planning Association in 2000, downtown Greenville be- named it one of the Top 10 Great came the place to see and be seen. Streets in America last year — a In the past decade, locally owned real coup when you consider that shops, bars, and restaurants have it’s gone from downtrodden to dis- filled in the gaps. Downtown’s tinguished in just 25 years. diminutive size (about 15 blocks) The transformation began with makes it easy to walk to most a strategic plan to create anchors hot spots, or take the free trolley and fill in the spaces between. The running along Main Street. opening of the Hyatt Regency in The Westin’s arrival (see p. 70) 1982 established a northern Main sparked a flurry of development Street anchor, and the 1990 open- in the city’s West End district at ing of The Peace Center for the the southern end of Main Street. Read this city profile, along with others, at usairwaysmag.com. • 44 • thrive.indd 1 2/2/10 3:46 PM KEYS TO THE CITY OF DOWNTOWN GREENVILLE, SC come. stay. shop. eat. play. Local artists open their studios to the public during the weekend- discover greenville, sc... long Greenville Open Studios (left); outdoor dining on Main Street www.greenvillesc.gov Falls Park on the Reedy is the cen- Four museums make up the terpiece of development here, with “It never ceases to amaze me campus at Heritage Green, an two amphitheaters featuring plen- arts complex: The Greenville ty of event space (and a full calen- how downtown has become a real County Museum of Art (home to dar) amid some 30 acres flanking the South’s most important col- lection of works by Andrew Wy- the Reedy River. A curved pedes- destination.” TYLER FLORENCE, Greenville native and Food Network star trian span called Liberty Bridge eth); The Museum and Gallery provides views of the park and wa- at Heritage Green (an outpost of terfalls, and a minor league base- The downtown transformation dent of Downtown Greenville Bob Jones University’s renowned ball team, the Greenville Drive (a continues: Clemson University Development Initiative, an orga- collection of Italian paintings); nod to local automotive companies moved its MBA program down- nization that works to bring busi- courtesy of The Upcountry History Mu- like BMW and Michelin), plays at town last January into a building nesses downtown. “When you first seum (check out the impressive Fluor Field at the West End. A few overlooking the Reedy, Michelin set foot in the area, it’s shocking. oral history program); and the m blocks away lies RiverPlace, a clus- has a downtown storefront and a You wonder why you haven’t heard etropolitan recently opened Children’s Mu- ter of sleek condos, trendy shops development office, and BMW is of this amazing place before. So seum of the Upstate, where an (Plaza Suite), hip restaurants (The known for its community partici- cosmopolitan and chic.” innovative multistory climbing a Lazy Goat and High Cotton), art- pation and event sponsorship, such r t s structure draws rave reviews c ists’ galleries and studios, and a as the BMW Charity Pro-Am The Arts o u n c i l , from kids (and parents, too). recently opened Hampton Inn. (May 13–16). The celebrity golf A variety of cultural attractions Greenville is also home to four d “Our secret is attention to the tournament brings big names like add to downtown’s chic vibe. owntown Greenville of the region’s seven theaters: pedestrian experience — the scale Darius Rucker and Kevin Costner “One of the major factors in the Greenville Little Theatre, Cen- of the buildings, the mix of resi- to town and contributes to Upstate revitalization of downtown Green- tre Stage, the Warehouse The- dential and retail, and surprising charities. It’s this high level of cor- ville is the diversity and depth of atre, and South Carolina Chil- art features,” says Greenville May- porate support that allows down- the city’s outstanding arts com- dren’s Theatre. Big-name acts d or Knox White. “Place a beautiful town Greenville to thrive. munity,” says Alan Ethridge, exec- evelopment like Brad Paisley and Nickelback park with a dramatic waterfall and “My family chose to move to utive director of the Metropolitan fill seats at the Bi-Lo Center on pedestrian suspension bridge in Greenville two years ago, and Arts Council, which estimates that i the northern edge of downtown. n i t i a t i v e the middle of it all and you have an the clincher was downtown,” says the arts have an annual economic Perhaps the No. 1 arts venue, urban space like none other.” Kym Petrie, executive vice presi- impact of nearly $200 million. the Peace Center hosts first-run • 46 • • 47 • GE Energy GE is planning for tomorrow. Where will you be? When it comes to providing the The Peace Center for the Performing Arts essentials for change, you can count on GE Energy to be a part Broadway shows (Wicked just left The South Carolina Governor’s town, and Spring Awakening plays School for the Arts and Humani- of it. We’re helping to develop the this month), top musicians (Chris ties. This public residential high infrastructure of countries everywhere Botti, John Legend, and Yo-Yo Ma school overlooks Falls Park, and have performed here), and other attracts artists from across the by providing the essentials for energy, groups including the South Caro- state to study in one of five disci- oil and gas and water and process lina Children’s Theatre, two bal- plines (including creative writing let companies, and the Greenville and vis ual arts). technologies. For 130 years, we’ve been at Symphony Orchestra, whose con- the forefront of innovation, but finding ductor and music director Edvard The Scene Tchivzhel first came to Greenville An increase in downtown liv- solutions to the world’s biggest problems has from Russia in 1991. “This com- ing in the late ’90s meant an never been more important than it is right now. Join us munity enthusiastically embraces increase in foot traffic — gone the arts,” Tchivzhel says. “There are the days when Main Street today and become an essential part of the solution. are so many creative people here.” turned into a ghost town after Emerging artists find a home at 5 p.m. Taryn Scher, a local public- shoppinG spree stick close to main street to find down - town’s coolest shops. for baubles and beads, make your own necklaces at the Beaded frog (beadedfrog.com); check out llyn strong for one-of-a-kind jewelry (llynstrong.com). mast Gen- eral store, an old-fashioned empo- rium, stocks everything from cast iron pans to camping gear (mastgeneral store.com). across the street, the of the courtesy riley, owen The Barkery Bistro Barkery Bistro welcomes four-legged GE Energy Engineering Division, headquartered in Greenville, SC, is seeking experienced shoppers with tail-wagging treats toys (thelollipopshop.net). need engineers for their wind and gas turbine product lines with the following expertise: (thebarkerybistro.com). purchase new jeans? at plaza suite, check original artwork in the studios at art out locally designed Beija flor jeans, • Thermal Engineering • Mechanical Design • Aeromechanics crossing at riverplace, where you can made with curve-friendly Brazilian • Controls and Simulation • Combustion • Materials also chat with the artists (artcrossing stretch denim (shopplazasuite.com). B arkery arkery .org). for the kid in you — and the ones then drop those bags at luna rosa • Power Electronics • Heat Transfer • Advanced Manufacturing : B with you — the lollipop shop satisfies and refuel with a cone of homemade istro • Performance • Aerodynamics Engineers Getsweet in touchdesires with with BV retro Krishnamurthy candy and or clickhazelnut to the gelato.