‘Losing a little piece of Conway’: Longstanding Fireman’s Club torn down after flooding

The Fireman’s Clubhouse in Conway was once a gathering place for the fire department of Conway and the community.

Just outside of downtown on Elm Street, it was a venue that hosted parties, weddings and birthday celebrations since it was built in 1953. On Friday, the building was torn down after decades of serving its community.

“It’s a bittersweet day,” Conway Spokesperson Taylor Newell said. “We’re losing a little piece of Conway.”

As the building came down, the sound of falling metal and wood could be heard bounding off the trees across the Waccamaw River’s banks. People on morning walks and bike rides paused to see the building come down.

The club was ruined during Hurricane Florence with water getting well into the riverside property. Watermarks along the building reach near the roof.

While the building survived previous floods, the damage from the 2018 flood was so significant the building was deemed unsafe and marked for demolition. Newell said the city was waiting for FEMA to provide funds to tear the building down before the demolition began.

While just one of many structures that was destroyed in the record-breaking flood, few others held the cultural significance of this building, especially for the firefighters of Conway, who used it as a meeting space.

In addition, residents could apply to rent the building for personal celebrations. The rental cost was relatively low for a waterfront facility.

At this time, there are no plans to replace the building. Newell said she expects the city will try to find some sort of facility to foster community memories like the Fireman’s Club did.

This story was originally published July 26, 2019 at 2:05 PM.