WINNSBORO, S.C. — In a bid to breathe new life into its downtown area, the town of Winnsboro has set its sights on the historic Thespian Hall and Tavern.
As part of their revitalization efforts, the town recently acquired the building formerly known as Thespian Hall and The Tavern, signaling the commencement of a broader plan to rejuvenate the heart of Winnsboro.
"You know It was a meeting place, they had events there," says Nancy Gerber, Winnsboro resident reminiscing on the old building.
Adding, "It was very elegant in a way, very rustic in a way,".
The Thespian Hall and Tavern, dating back to the 1800s, served as a companion building to the iconic Clock Tower.
Town Manager Jason Taylor highlights the building's historical significance. "It was for traveling theatre groups, and that's what would come through here, so the people in the area in the 1830s would come here to experience this building as a gathering place,".
The building's narrative took a somber turn when it operated as a restaurant called The Tavern before succumbing to a fire in 2011, leaving it in disrepair.
"It's just an eye sore, so bad, that trees are growing through the roof," adds Gerber.
"This is in the heart of Winnsboro; so we want to start at the center of town, the pulse, the heart and spread from that and take a multi-prong approach of other properties and just move on and develop the entire area," Mayor John McMeekin says.
With funding secured from state legislation, the town is now embarking on the task of restoring the historic building.
"Again, Acquiring the building was the first step, the second is a thorough structural, architectural assessment of the building, to see what could be salvaged, what could be rebuilt, or if it's a situation where we need to take it down to the ground and rebuild the shell, a replica," says Taylor.
The vision for the future of the building is still in the early stages.
"Everyone wants a restaurant to go back there, but we do have to use the building in a way that's sustainable; one of the things we've done is we're working with the Municipal of S.C. and we received a grant from them in addition to the money we had received for the restoration, we received a grant from them to again do a market study, to see what would be successful here what could go here?," Taylor adds.
In addition to the Thespian Hall and Tavern, the town is exploring opportunities to revitalize other dilapidated buildings downtown.
