ELLOREE, S.C. — The Elloree train depot has been sold to developers after remaining vacant for more than a quarter of a century.
According to the developers it will serve as an anchor for Elloree Station, a project developers are working on to rebrand its downtown area.
The name of the downtown hub-Elloree Station-- is a nod to the town's history of the train depot with a new spin.
“With all of the potential growth, people following their dreams of trying to open up a business, we feel like this is the right time," said Mayor Mike Fanning.
The plan is for the train depot to transform into a microbrewery and according to Fanning, the depot has quite a history.
After the building was moved from the railroad to its current location in the 1980's it reopened as a seafood restaurant.
In the 1990's, it served as an Orangeburg County School District Office until 1996.
The town of Elloree has owned it ever since.
“We had it evaluated in 1996 by an engineering firm and they came back with a conservative estimate of several hundred thousand dollars worth of renovations to bring it up to code because of termite damage, leaks in the roof, bringing the wiring up to code and as a small town that was not in our budget.”
So the building has remained vacant for 26 years.
Until now.
The town sold the depot to the Elloree Development Group for five dollars.
It's one of seven buildings the group has acquired along Cleveland Street as part of what will soon become Elloree Station, a downtown hub with stores and restaurants.
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Marty Stubbs has owned an antique store across the street for 20 years.
“I think it’s good to have more for our younger people that do like something to do later in the evenings so I think it’s gonna be good for them, it’s gonna be good for a whole ‘nother class of folks that’s gonna be bringing them to town,” she said.
Developers are working with architects and engineers in the early stages of planning.
The Elloree Development Group has been given one year and a half to work on this project before it's sold back to the town.