Here’s the plan to save a historically Black elementary school in Conway, SC

A local group of Conway residents is trying to save a historically Black elementary school from demolition.

A proposal for the Whittemore Elementary school was submitted to the City of Conway by the Whittmore Racepath Historical Society, a group of alumni from the area who say the school is foundational to the Black community.

The plan includes a site plan for a 120-unit apartment complex, and renovating a 10,000 square-foot gymnasium for community use. It also calls for a 19,500 square foot structure for “an African American/Gullah Geechee Historical Museum; small business incubator; and a community center with theater arts and other programming, including services and activity for all ages,” the proposal reads.

Whittemore Elementary was built in 1953 as an equalization school to meet the “separate but equal” standards of racial segregation at the time. It was damaged by Hurricane Matthew in 2016, and decommissioned by the Horry County School District.

The property was then given to the City of Conway under the promise it would be turned into a community center, said Rev. Cheryl Adamson, president of the Whittemore Racepath Historical Society.

Elementary school is ‘foundational’ to Black alumni in Conway

For Adamson, now 70, the elementary school represents the heart of the Black community in Conway.

“This school was foundational to my life and my education, and that of many African American people,” Adamson said. “We really love that little school have a lot of fond memories of it.”

Currently, there are 35 sites in Horry County that are registered in the National Register of Historic Places. While twenty of those sites reside in Conway, Adamson said, none point to the “significance of the lives, contribution and history of African American people.”

“History is a value of the City of Conway; we would be in keeping with their motto, the historic river town, if we hold onto this building,” Adamson said.

Damage to the old school is ‘overwhelming,’ according to the city

In 2020, an architect gave the city of Conway an estimate of $14 to 20 million dollars to renovate the building, according to Planning Director John Rogers.

Now, the proposal estimates the cost to be around $16 million dollars, factoring in site development and construction. Whittemore Racepath Historical Society has partnered with Marvin Greer and Associates LLC., a development firm based in Atlanta, GA for the project.

However, Rogers said it was possible that number could be a lot more, factoring in inflation and a lack of contractors.

“We don’t have a current estimate to take all of that into account,” Rogers said.

Marvin Greer, head of the firm, said funding would be secured for the project through low-income housing tax credits and “gap” financing from government resources.

The buildings on the site are currently condemned by the City of Conway due to presence of asbestos and damage caused by Hurricane Matthew, according to a Request for Proposals document. Adam Emrick, City of Conway’s administrator, previously told The Sun News that the damage on the site was “overwhelming,” when it was acquired by the city in 2018. It’s not clear how much more damage the property has suffered since then.

However, Greer said he has worked on projects similar to this in the past and is hopeful, despite the damages.

“Yes, it has its physical issues, but it can be saved,” Greer said. “It could be anything. It still keeps its historic significance.”

Proposal requests will be accepted through Dec. 31, 2024. If the council accepts, the property will be purchased by the Whittemore Racepath Historical Society for $1.

Council is expected to discuss the proposal in detail at a workshop on Dec. 5.

This story was originally published December 3, 2022 at 8:00 AM.