Newspaper Clipping: Future of Tryon Street School Land Unclear · Greer Heritage Museum collection

Title

Newspaper Clipping: Future of Tryon Street School Land Unclear

Accession Number

2026.28.27.2

Accession Date

30 April 2026

Accession Creator

Adrienne Fuehrer

Depositor

Found in collection

Description

Newspaper clipping from The Greenville News on Wednesday 2, June 1999. Includes a section by Nan Lundeen on the closing of the Tryon Street School building and the building's uncertain future. Includes a picture of the building alongside the text.

Date

2 June 1999

Format

paper

Storage Location

Box 34 Folder 27

Text

The Greenville News
Eastside/Greer Extra
Wednesday June 2, 1999
Future of Tryon Street school land unclear
By Lan Lundeen
Contributing Writer
GREER - Parting is such sweet sorrow - even when you're saying goodbye to a school building where classroom ceilings leak, where students have to use portable outdoor restrooms, and where the cafeteria has no air conditioning.
Despite the lack of some basic amenities during its final year of operation, Tryon Street Elementary School students "are not affected" by the things left undone to the 39-year-old facility as it prepares to close for good this spring, said second-grade teacher Kelly Bayne.
"Learning is still going," Bayne said.
But the question naturally arises in the minds of teachers, parents, and the whole community: What will become of the building?
Students will attend Chandler Creek Elementary next fall, a new school built as part of the Greenville County School District's long-range building plan. The school district will accept sealed bids through June 29 on Tryon Street property, which includes 12.5 acres of land, three school buildings and an office wing. The buildings total 32,210 square feet. "A lot of people are sad to see it go," said PTA present Hope Edlin.
She'd like to see money from the sale of property go into other schools in the district.
"It might be wise to sell it and take care of some debts," said former teacher June Grant, office/attendance clerk.
"It's a very valuable piece of commercial property," said Greer Mayor Don Wall.
The property at 108 Tryon St. has 521 feet of frontage on Wade Hampton Boulevard and 255 feet on Tryon Street, according to school district spokeswoman Susan Clarke. It is zoned for multi-family residential development, but changing the zoning to commercial would "definitely not" be a problem, Wall said.
Almost all the property along Wade Hampton already is zoned commercial, according to Patricia Gordon, Greer's planning and zoning administrator.
In considering the property's future use, residents also talk about the community's needs.
Because its located next to the city's recreation facilities and a town park, parent Debbie Clark said she'd like to see the city fix up the park and turn the entire area into a "well-patrolled youth recreation" area.
The school buildings could be used as a big activity area, she said, and the complex could be something "kids and parents could be proud of."
The school already has a ball field, and recreation activities are extremely popular among Greer's youth, said PTA vice president Linda Wood. She has heard several people comment that they wish the property could be used for recreational purposes.
Bus driver Marie Key would like to see the old school site used for some type of children's activities such as YMCA, day care or recreation.
Katie Smith, who attended grades kindergarten through five there and now picks up students after school for day care, said she made many good friends at the school and had some "great teachers."
Recollections of her years at Tryon Street Elementary are "very happy memories."
"I hope they don't tear it down," she mused. "I do wonder - I don't want what they would do with it."
School's out - for good: Tryon Street Elementary School sits empty after a recent school day. Opinions vary as to how the property should be used when the doors close Thursday.