âItâs a beautiful day in the neighborhoodâ, as Mister Rogers would say. And for our slightly younger crowd, đ” âWelcome to my hoooodâ (thanks, DJ Khaled).
Take a seat in my (future) rocking chair, on my (future) porch at my (future) home in the Heritage Historic District as we explore Greenvilleâs historic neighborhoods, or âhoods if you will. Then, scroll down to see the map of other neighborhoods, and tell us what ones weâre missing. đĄ
*Historical Districts defined by the City of Greenvilleâs website.
Colonel Elias Earle Historic District:
đ: North of Stone Avenue between Rutherford and Wade Hampton Blvd.
#DYK: The neighborhood is named after Colonel Elias Earle, who was an early settler of Greenville and purchased much of the land in this area of town.
Must đ : The Earle Town House located at 107 James Street, (built in roughly 1820); and âWhitehall,â located at 310 West Earle Street, was built in 1813 as the summer residence of Governor Henry Middleton.
East Park Avenue Historic District
đ : Area of land that lies between Park Avenue and Stone Avenue to the right of N. Main St. by Mcpherson Park.
#DYK: W.C. Cleveland, a former mayor and member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, gave up some of his estate which eventually became McPherson Park.
Must đ : McPherson Park (the cityâs oldest public park)
Hampton-Pinckney Historic District
đ : Behind the intersection of Buncombe and N. Academy
#DYK: The land was purchased in 1815 by Vardry McBee who spent $27,550 for 11,028 acres.
Must đ : You can take your own walking tour via this awesome map that outlines everything youâll want to know about the areaâs history.
Heritage Historic District
đ : Located in the West Park area to the northwest of downtown Greenville. Behind Hughes Main Library and The Greenville Little Theatre up to Stone Ave.
#DYK: City council designated this area as a local preservation overlay in 2001.
Must đ : St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral (organized in 1931).
Overbrook Historic District
đ : To the right of 385 as you head towards the Laurenâs Rd. This area stops right before you meet Stone Ave.
#DYK: Overbrook came about due to the expansion of the trolley system in 1910. The Overbrook Land Company, was organized by the Woodside brothers (of the Woodside Cotton Mill, which was once the largest textile plant in the world). They bought the land for $7,500.
Pettigru Historic District
đ: Between E. Washington and E. North St.
DYK: The neighborhood was nominated for the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 and is the largest historic district in the city.
Must đ : Joeâs Place, the new and used bookstore, is moving from Main St. to a 1,900-square-foot renovated house at 2 Williams St. It will include a full coffee shop, wine + beer, and all the sitting/reading space.
West End Historic District
đ: This area spans from Falls Park, up S. Main St. where it meets with Vardry St.
DYK: Furman University was established in 1852 on 50 acres of land in the West End, where it expanded and remained until 1958.
Must đ : THEN and NOW: West End of Greenville
Now, we know that not all of you live in one of Greenvilleâs historic districts, so we made a map, color-coded to represent Historic Districts â in green, Special Emphasis neighborhoods â in yellow â (as defined by the City of Greenville.)
Next, we want your help to fill in the gaps! Please take a look at the map weâve filled out, and if you see an area where you live thatâs not filled in, please leave a comment on our website or over on Facebook with your neighborhood name and general area. With your help, we hope to build a super-comprehensive list of Greenvilleâs neighborhoods.