This auditorium, demolished in 1993, was built for expositions of textile machinery

Old Textile Hall, Greenville South Carolina

Date added: November 17, 2023 Categories:

Located in the western section of the central business district in Greenville, South Carolina, Old Textile Hall was built in 1917 for the Southern Textile Exposition, Inc. The building was the first exposition facility for textile machinery and products in the Southeast, and used as Greenville's early civic auditorium. Expositions were held on a regular basis in Old Textile Hall from 1917 until 1962 and played a pivotal role in the promotion and growth of the textile industry in the upstate region to a position of national and eventual world leadership.

The location of a textile exposition in Greenville was the result of a coordinated major effort by local members of the Southern Textile Association, area civic and textile leaders, and industrial-related machinery and supply people. The first Greenville exposition was planned to coincide with the fall 1915 meeting of the Southern Textile Association, also held in Greenville. This exposition was held November 2-6, 1915, at the Piedmont and Northern Warehouse (destroyed by fire in 1969) located on West Washington Street on a site opposite the future location of Old Textile Hall. The show, which included 169 exhibitors of textile machinery, was viewed by an estimated 40,000 people during Exposition Week. This first show was considered successful enough by its sponsors to spawn the formation of the Southern Textile Exhibitors Association, Inc., in September 1916 for the purpose of creating a permanent exposition in Greenville. A subscription effort of capital stock was initiated for the purpose of financing construction of a permanent exposition facility.

J. E. Sirrine and Company, Engineers, was selected by the Exhibitors Association to design the new facility. The company's founder and president, J. E. Sirrine, was also actively involved in organizing the first exposition. The building was designed as a dual-purpose facility to serve as a municipal auditorium in addition to a textile exposition hall. Old Textile Hall was strategically located in a most desirable location near the corner of West Washington Street and Academy Street in close proximity to downtown hotels and railroad facilities. Construction was begun in the spring of 1917 and completed several months later at a cost of about $130,000 in time for the opening of the second exposition held December 10th-15^th, 1917. This exposition included 189 exhibitors and 28,250 square feet of space.

Subsequent expositions were held in 1919 and from 1920 until 1962 on a biennial basis, with some interruptions. An independent Textile Products Show was planned to alternate each year with the regular machinery expositions, beginning with a show held October 6th-12^th, 1921. Ultimately, however, they were not successful.

In 1923 the Board of Directors decided to relinquish the business charter of the Southern Textile Exposition, Inc., and to reorganize as an eleemosynary corporation. The new state charter authorized the corporation to hold expositions "for the encouragement and development of spinning, weaving and the invention and manufacture of machines and devices related thereto; to accumulate and disseminate information relative to the textile industry; to advance and encourage the cause of religion, literature, science and art."

In addition to textile-related exhibitions, Old Textile Hall served an important function as an auditorium facility for the city. The building was the scene of various kinds of tradeshows, including automobile, furniture, home, etc., and a multitude of events such as concerts, plays, conventions, religious revivals, small circuses, school commencements and basketball games.

During one show in 1919, a fully erected modular house was exhibited on stage. The building also facilitated the development of local events such as the Thousand Voice Choir and Singing Christmas Tree. The latter event, still held in Greenville, consisted of a chorus arranged in the shape of a Christmas Tree pyramiding from the stage floor to the ceiling.

Old Textile Hall eventually became obsolete for its traditional functions in a deteriorating section of town. The building ceased to be used as a municipal auditorium when a new facility, the Memorial Auditorium was opened in 1958. The last textile exposition was held there in 1962. By that time the exposition had grown to such an extent that nine annexes were needed to accommodate the numerous exhibitors. Textile Hall Corporation subsequently constructed a new exposition building in Greenville to replace the old building. Old Textile Hall remained vacant for several years until purchased for use by a modular housing company in November 1978. The building was subsequently purchased by Old Textile Hall, Inc., in May 1980. The present owners are developing plans to rehabilitate the building for adaptive use.

Those plans never materialized, and the building was demolished in 1993.

Building Description

Situated on the north side of West Washington Street near the intersection of Academy Street in downtown Greenville, South Carolina, Old Textile Hall is a large exposition facility constructed in 1917. The building was constructed for the Southern Textile Exposition, Inc., to house textile machinery shows on a regular basis. J. E. Sirrine and Company, Engineers, a prominent Greenville firm specializing in textile mills and industrial plants, designed the building. The construction was carried out by the Fiske-Carter Construction Company of Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Exterior: Rectangular in plan (approximately 101' by 235'), Old Textile Hall is constructed of load-bearing brick perimeter walls that incorporate horizontal reinforced concrete and granolithic bond beams. The facade is symmetrical in design and comprises a five-story section at the southern end of the building approximately 31' deep in plan and includes projecting rectangular corner pavilions. The facade is delineated by eight bays.

Each corner pavilion incorporates a recessed entranceway, one large window located between granolithic bond beams overhead and a smaller window under the projecting cornice. The wall surface between the pavilions includes twenty-two windows delineated by three sets of paired bays and a wide central doorway. An additional four windows are located under an ornate bracketed cornice supporting a green-colored pantile roof. All windows are of a multi-pane stationary and/or pivoting steel casement type.

The roofed cornice, three horizontal granolithic bond beams and a high brick parapet are featured on all three sides of the southern section of the building. The parapet on the facade wall surface between the pavilions is arched and features an arched decorative limestone nameplate. Also incorporated on the southern section are brick panels delineated by raised brick courses, and chamfered granolithic door lintels and window sills.

The west elevation is comprised of six window bays delineated vertically by brick piers and into three horizontal levels by reinforced concrete bond beams. The east elevation is identical on the upper two levels with the exception of two independent brick shafts. The rear (north) elevation is constructed of wood frame and weatherboarding with a composition covering. The rear elevation includes one single leaf, one sliding and two double doors, and seven wood sash frame windows. The barrel-shaped roof is constructed of heavy timber frame components and supported by a crescent truss system visible from the interior of the building in the auditorium. The roof covering consists of built up asbestos.

Two one-story annexes were constructed adjacent to the east elevation of Old Textile Hall to provide additional exhibit space. In 1926 a steel frame and clad structure was built adjacent to the northeast corner. The second annex was built in 1952 alongside and connecting with Old Textile Hall and the original annex.

Interior: The interior of 01d Textile Hall can be described in three basic components; that is, a five-story southern section, ground floor and auditorium. Load-bearing brick perimeter walls enclose a yellow pine post and beam heavy timber construction on the interior.

The 31' deep southern section comprises the front of the building and includes two projecting corner pavilions, each containing a wood interior staircase. An outside entrance provides access to each staircase. A central lobby provides access to two flanking offices and a ground floor section behind. The second, fourth and fifth floors served multi-functional purposes including exhibit space for textile fabrics and products, conference rooms, hospitality rooms, etc. Toilet facilities are located on the third floor. The fifth floor also contained a projection booth for the auditorium.

The ground-level first floor section includes an exposed chamfered post and beam timber structural system that supports the auditorium above. The floor consists of a concrete center aisle and maple flooring. This level was designed for heavy and running textile machinery exhibits, receiving and shipping, and storage space.

The auditorium section on the second level features a stage area at the north end, and a balcony cantilevered 13' on the west and east sides and supported by posts 29' on the southern end. The floor of the auditorium is a non-sloping tongue and groove maple designed to accommodate light and running textile machinery. The balcony and auditorium floors included movable tiered seating for different kinds of performances and events. Maximum seating capacity was about 3,000 people.

A freight elevator is located in the northeast corner of the building to service the auditorium stage and balcony in addition to the ground and auditorium floors.

The original heating and ventilating system is comprised of two subterranean concrete ducts extending from the furnace and blower unit in the northwest corner to a series of brick piers along the front and side perimeter walls. The ducts and piers are divided to include return air. Exposed knob and tube wiring remains in much of the building.

With the exception of the addition of two annexes, Old Textile Hall has undergone few alterations and retains its basic integrity. Exterior alterations included the replacement of the original steel casement windows on side elevations with smaller windows in the 1950s. This alteration entailed brick infill within most of each original window space. The original marquees have been removed from each of the three front entrances. Interior alterations have been minimal and included recent rewiring, leaving much of the original exposed knob and tube wiring and fixtures intact. An auxiliary heating system was also recently installed in the auditorium and some interior partitions were constructed on the fifth floor of the building's front section.

Surroundings: Old Textile Hall is located adjacent to a church and commercial properties in the western section of the central business district.