Greer Downtown Historic District
National Register Listing
Street Address:
Roughly bounded by Trade, E. Poinsett, Randall, Victoria, and N. Main Sts., Greer, SC (Greenville County)
NRHP Nomination
NRHP Boundary Change Information
NRHP Maps
Record Number:
S10817723048
Description and Narrative:
The Greer Downtown Historic District is significant for its high concentration of intact examples of early twentieth century commercial architecture. The commercial buildings in the district signify Greer’s expansion from an agricultural market place to include an industrial and manufacturing economy. Greer was first established as Greer’s Station in 1873 as a flag station along the Atlanta Charlotte Air Line Railroad. From the late 1870s through the 1890s, downtown Greer prospered in the cotton trade and the streets were lined with a wide variety of businesses such as general stores, physicians, and other essential services. These and many early businesses in Greer were grouped in wood frame buildings around the Public Square and along Trade Street. With the expansion of the textile mills, downtown Greer also expanded in the form of new industry and commerce focused on supporting textiles. These new businesses and their industries changed the face of downtown Greer as they replaced older wood frame buildings with brick commercial structures. The district contains forty-six properties, forty of which are considered contributing to the character of the historic district. The contributing properties represent the development of the downtown as the center of commerce in Greer, and were constructed from ca. 1900 to ca. 1940, with the majority constructed between 1910 and 1930. Listed in the National Register September 18, 1997; Boundary increase June 18, 2004; Boundary increase to account for technical error in original nomination and boundary decrease to remove a demolished contributing property September 30, 2019.
Period of Significance:
1900 – 1940
Level of Significance:
Local
Area of Significance:
Architecture
National Register Determination:
listed
Date of Certification:
September 18 1997
Date of Boundary Increase:
June 18 2004;September 30 2019
