To understand the modern magic of downtown Greenville and the glory that is Falls Park, there’s really only one name to remember: Tommy Wyche.
The Greenville attorney was a champion for decades of thoughtful urban planning and conservation and was an early advocate for restoring the Reedy River. His vision for how the river and the land surrounding it could become an adornment and powerful driver of urban renewal inspired countless others. In many ways, it has served as the impetus for projects that have transformed Greenville.
It should come as no surprise that Wyche’s ideas about the river’s importance influenced the president and CEO of the company chosen to develop the Falls Park Conference District, a $500 million mixed-use project connecting to the east side of Falls Park which includes a long-planned downtown conference center. The proposed site runs along Falls Street and East Camperdown Way, and currently holds the Bowater Building, a number of surface level parking lots and several smaller buildings…