April 2003
Contents

Message From the Executive Director:
* The Upstate as the next regional city

Conservation:
* Couple preserves land along highway 11
* Northern Greenville county tract preserved
* UF members donate land adjoining
Jocassee Gorges to State
* Conservation Bank Act signed into law!

Articles:
* The Upstate is being developed at the rate of a new Haywood Mall every three days!!
* Downtown Schools: a key step toward sensible growth
* Downtown schools in the Upstate
good news and bad news
* Can Stories Save a River?
Bringing Lawson's Fork back to life
* Main Street: Heart and soul of the Upstate
* Victory for streams in the Upstate!

Upstate Forever News:
* Events
* Awards
* Volunteers
* Staff

MAIN STREET: HEART AND SOUL OF THE UPSTATE

by Leon Patterson
Upstate South Carolina has experienced a renewed interest in its historic downtown communities. Did we wake up to the possibility of losing the very heart and soul of our greatness?
     In the latter half of the eighteenth century, people began to settle near and along Upstate streams, riverbanks and busy crossroads, which brought goods from the frontier to coastal and European markets. Later, trading posts and settlements became communities and county seats, causing a burst of growth and prosperity in the Upstate, which was centered around these important seats of local government, commerce and community life.
     Collectively, the rural towns of Upstate South Carolina became the heart and soul of the region, providing unique character as well as vision of a future. Community life revolved around a hub of activities that extended from public squares, village greens, courthouses and main streets of dozens of towns springing up across the Upstate.
     During the 20th century, the transformation from farming to an industry-based economy in the Upstate began to effect, at an alarming rate, major changes in the character and identity of small towns. Indeed an enlightened community leadership, which provided the substance behind community growth, had begun to shift priorities and resources more broadly to competing projects.
     Interstate highway systems made it easier for Upstate residents to utilize major shopping centers such as malls and “super stores” rather than encourage shopping in traditional neighborhood stores. The once strong and profitable merchant-based neighborhood businesses began to feel somewhat endangered and in some cases, were altogether lost to the history books. Indeed the survival of the core business district in many small towns was greatly threatened. People forgot how important and precious their downtown and its historic commercial buildings were in reflecting their community’s unique heritage.
     In several communities, downtown merchants and property owners tried to halt the decline by mimicking their competition–the shopping mall. These attempts resulted in covering traditional building fronts with aluminum slipcovers, and attaching huge, oversized signs on their buildings to attract attention. These well-intended but ineffective methods did not stabilize downtown’s decline, mainly because they did not address the fundamental problem–that businesses did not change when the market did, and that people did not see the downtown as a destination for shopping any more. With the economic boom of the 1980s, Main Street also saw increased development occurring outside traditional areas, and the issue of “sprawl” with its uncontrolled growth and generic architecture that reflected neither a sense of place nor a sense of pride became an issue that most communities contend with today.
     While competition is healthy and necessary and in fact is the very heart of the American economic system, uncontrolled growth and competition often produce negative results. The decline in vitality of rural towns and “main streets” has drained the will, motivation and energy of many people to work for positive change.
     As community leaders, we should be doing everything possible to protect the heart and soul of our communities. We can start by taking every opportunity to revitalize the core business district with life-giving projects in retail shopping, housing, recreation and public works.
     Facing these issues, over 1200 communities have adopted the Main Street approach since the 1980s to save the heart of their communities–their downtown. Main Street programs were developed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s National Main Street Center to save historic buildings,
to revive commercial cores, to strengthen business, and to maintain a sense of place and community.
     One such “Main Street” community is Historic Downtown Laurens. Laurens Public Square is the only intact square in the state of South Carolina. The original 1838 county courthouse still stands in the center of the original 4-acre square and represents just one of the dozen architectural styles found in Laurens. Surrounding the courthouse are other impressive commercial buildings with unique architectural details, including Italian Renaissance Palazzo and Georgian Revival, and which date back as far as 1885.
     During the last three years, Laurens has remained committed to its vision of revitalizing the downtown area into a viable center in which to conduct business, visit, and shop. Funded primarily through a special tax district, Main Street Laurens, USA, Inc. is a public/private partnership formed to ensure the continued growth and prosperity of the city’s historic public square. In an effort to restore the downtown area and retain its architectural beauty, the courthouse square is undergoing major beautification and revitalization. Phase I of this streetscape project is nearing completion with improvements that enhance the city’s historic character and encourage tourism and new investment. The Square’s infrastructure has been dramatically enhanced with period lights, new sidewalks, and park benches. In addition to these public improvements, Laurens unveiled its newly renovated City Hall last January.
     Is there hope for Main Street? While many people tend to give up all hope for their historic downtown communities, there are others who believe strongly in their future. There are many trends and assets that support downtown rejuvenation. Many consumers are tired of the homogeneity and blandness of shopping malls and chain stores. People value personal attention, name recognition, and exemplary service – all potential features of traditional commercial districts. Because consumers are more mobile today than several decades ago, the market area that a downtown or neighborhood district can potentially serve is much greater than it once was. More and more Americans enjoy visiting historic places – not only for vacation but also for everyday business and leisure activities. Traditional community centers offer unique, historic shopping environments.
     Upstate Forever and revitalization of the “main streets” and downtown districts are intertwined in a common purpose and goal. We seek the same end results: sensible growth and maintenance of a certain quality of life in the heart of our towns. The “Ten Point Plan for Sensible Growth in the Upstate” advocated by Upstate Forever is the core of a long-term plan for solving “flight to the suburbs.” It is an alternative to uncontrolled growth and “urban sprawl.”
     Our historic Upstate downtown communities and “main streets” can learn much from the example set by Upstate Forever. Future development can go hand in hand with the protection and preservation of these communities through life-giving support from programs like the Main Street, S.C. project. There is a workable solution.