Falls Park on the Reedy- Greenville, SC

I do love a good urban park. A green space amidst the city chaos is always a welcome respite. Greenville has an absolute gem in Falls Park on the Reedy. A scenic river cutting right through town, the park combines natural beauty with a thoroughly modern suspension bridge. It also contains relics from Greenville’s mill based past, making it the perfect place to explore.

Life in Greenville has always been centered on the Reedy River. Although the area was long a hunting ground for the Cherokee, once European colonist arrived, the town grew around the river. By the late 1800s several cotton mills were operating in town; by 1915 Greenville was known as the “Textile Center of the South.” The industry supported the town, which frequently hosted national events, such as the biennial Southern Textile Exposition. In fact, the Poinsett Hotel was built in part to support Greenville’s textile conventions.

This all ended during the Great Depression. Mills were forced to close; those that remained open laid off many of their workers. Remaining worker protested during the Textile Workers Strike of 1934, which had to be quelled by the National Guard. The heyday of Cotton was over. Although Greenville’s economy grew after World War II, like many towns in the United States, it waned by the early 1970s. Retailers, businesses and residents alike moved out of the urban core, leaving it practically abandoned.

It was around this time, that the Carolina Foothills Garden Club reclaimed 26 acres of land downtown that had been used by textile mills. They received funding and support from the city, as well as property from Furman College. They worked to clean up the long polluted river, and provide a park for the people of Greenville. In 1973, the park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Following their initial clean up, one of their first projects was to restore the 1894 Falls Cottage. Built as a rental property during the town’s prosperous period, it had been converted to a service station before being abandoned in the 1960s. The Garden Club was able to purchase the property at the entrance to the park, approximate its original appearance, and open it to the public. Today, the cottage is home to a restaurant, Mary’s at Fall Cottage.

Over the years many improvement were made to the park. Beautification intensified in the late 1990s, culminating in the 2002 removal of Camperdown Bridge, a 1960s four lane monstrosity which obstructed views of the falls. The city invested $13 million in the project, including landscaping and a new pedestrian bridge that spanned the river.

This was not just any pedestrian bridge, however. Designed by transportation architects Rosales + Partners, the 355 foot suspension bridge is supported by cables only on one side, offering unobstructed river views. In 2005, it was awarded the Arthur G. Hayden medal for innovative design. In the decade since it has open, the delicate bridge has become Greenville’s iconic structure and the park’s centerpiece. Second to the falls of course.

Today, Greenville is abuzz with new businesses, and people have moved back downtown. At the very center of this revitalized city is a perfect urban park.

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