Historic home set for demolition to make way for Rock Hill water tank
After dodging demolition for months, a nearly 125-year-old house on West Main Street will soon be torn down by the city of Rock Hill to make way for a water tank near downtown.
Known as the Mills-Hallman House on historical records, the home has not been lived in for years and was last owned by a local ministry until the city bought it last year for $65,000.
City officials say the house must come down for construction to start on a nearly $3.8 million water tank.
Some fixtures and material from the Mills-Hallman House will be saved and given to the local nonprofit historic preservation group, Historic Rock Hill. The historic materials will be used in preservation efforts for other old homes.
Historic Rock Hill tried to save the home from demolition earlier this year but its executive director has said preservation efforts were hindered because of changing deadlines and details about the water tank project.
The initial deadline to move or demolish the house was Feb. 15. Later, engineering plans for the water tank called for another historic home nearby to be moved and the deadline for both houses moved to the end of May. A few months ago, the project timeline was extended again.
Over the summer, the Rock Hill African-American Cultural Resources Committee showed interest in trying to relocate the Mills-Hallman House and use it for a future museum, city officials told The Herald. The group could not be reached for comment this week.
The house will be demolished by the end of October, officials say. The city is paying for the demolition, estimated to cost about $10,000.
The other historic home, formally known as the Caldwell House, was moved several weeks ago after Rock Hill paid the homeowner $180,700 for the land and building relocation expenses.
Annemarie Beebe, Historic Rock Hill’s executive director, said she’s sad preservation efforts couldn’t save the home. In the past, Beebe said she had hoped city officials would let her organization know sooner when historic buildings were at risk of being torn down.
On Monday, the City Council gave its final approval to borrowing $5.1 million to cover the costs of the water tank project. The city is borrowing the money from a special state fund dedicated to helping municipalities complete major utility projects.
An existing water tank on Laurel Street will be removed. The new water tank will then be built beside Laurelwood Cemetery, near the the corner of Laurel and West Main streets. Plans call for the 750,000-gallon water tank to stand 165 feet tall.
City leaders say the tank will help serve current utility customers and future development planned around the old Rock Hill Printing and Finishing Co. textile site. The 23-acre property – commonly referred to as the Bleachery site – is central to Rock Hill’s hopes for economic development in the city’s former textile hub.
Rock Hill officials have not announced a specific date for water tank construction to begin. The project is estimated to take 18 months from the time construction starts.
This story was originally published September 27, 2014 at 5:51 PM.