Falls Park on the Reedy

Falls Park on the Reedy
Falls Park on the Reedy is located in South Carolina
Falls Park on the Reedy
Location
Falls Park on the Reedy is located in the United States
Falls Park on the Reedy
Falls Park on the Reedy (the United States)
TypeUrban park
LocationGreenville, SC
Coordinates34°50′40.6″N 82°24′04.5″W / 34.844611°N 82.401250°W / 34.844611; -82.401250
Area32 acres (0.13 km2)
Created1967
Owned byGreenville, SC
StatusOpen all year

Falls Park on the Reedy is a 32-acre (130,000 m2) park adjacent to downtown Greenville, South Carolina, in the historic West End district. Considered the birthplace of Greenville, the park was founded in 1967 when the Carolina Foothills Garden Club reclaimed 26 acres (110,000 m2) of land that had been previously used by textile mills. Renovation accelerated in the late 1990s under Mayor Knox H. White,[1] prompting the formation of the Falls Park Endowment, a private charity supporting ongoing development. Each summer the park is home to the Upstate Shakespeare Festival.

The park's most striking feature is a unique pedestrian bridge that curves around a waterfall on the Reedy River. Named the Liberty Bridge at Falls Park on the Reedy, the 355-foot (108 m) long suspension bridge is supported by cables on only one side, giving an unobstructed view of the falls. It was designed by Boston firm Rosales + Partners with German firm Schlaich Bergermann & Partner as structural engineers and completed in September 2004.[2] It was awarded the Arthur G. Hayden medal for innovative design in 2005.[3]

Near the bridge, the Main Street entrance to the park is graced by Bryan Hunt's 16 ft (4.9 m) bronze sculpture Fall Lake Falls and contains a restaurant and other visitor amenities at the new Falls Park Center.

The park also features a collection of public gardens and a wall from the original 1776 grist mill built on the site.

Falls Park on the Reedy in Greenville, SC

Bell Tower Mall and county offices

The men's campus of Furman University, now located outside of the nearby town of Travelers Rest, was situated in the southern area of the park and on the bluff further to the south overlooking the area between 1851 and 1958.[4] In 1961 feasibility studies for new development on the land were taken, and in 1965, Bell Tower Associates announced plans for the 'Bell Tower Shopping Mall', which opened in July 1970. In 1982, the mall's primary anchor, Woolco, shuttered, and the mall entered a decline. In 1984 the Furman Company, now Furman Realty would suggest local government utilize the building as office space. After some additions and modifications, Greenville County would move its offices into the building in 1987.[5] As of 2023, plans to demolish the building and once again relocate the county offices have been put into motion.[6]

Liberty Bridge

References

  1. ^ "Knox White, Mayor". greenvillesc.gov. Archived from the original on May 17, 2014. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
  2. ^ Brutzman, Anna B. (September 11, 2004). "Bridge, park turn popular picnic spot into feast for eyes". The Greenville News. p. 29. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  3. ^ International Bridge Conference: Bridge Awards Archived July 17, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Furman University Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
  5. ^ "Bell Tower Mall's failure leads to County Square". The Greenville News. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
  6. ^ "Nearing completion: Take a look inside the new Greenville County government offices". The Greenville News. Retrieved 2023-07-10.