The American Legion’s historic building in downtown Greenville may be demolished in 2025 to make room for a new mixed-use development.
Kirk Conover, commander of the James F. Daniel Jr. American Legion Post 3, explained an unnamed developer approached the local chapter to purchase the property at 430 N. Main St. Greenville City Council had recently approved the sale of the Greenville City Municipal Court property at 426 N. Main St. to the developer for $4 million.
According to the city’s ordinance, the buyer, 426 N. Main St. LLC, plans to construct a Class A mixed-use development on North Main Street. Official designs for the project have yet to be released. Johnston Design Group is the architect for the project.
“The city didn’t really notify us that the courthouse building was going to be for sale. We first noticed it when the signs went up and then we noticed that someone was surveying our piece of land,” Conover said.
Located at the corner of North Main and Academy streets, the American Legion’s 0.35-acre parcel currently holds the chapter’s first dedicated lodge, built in the early 1930s. The building is listed on the Greenville Historic Inventory. Today, the two-story structure holds the American Legion War Museum and is used for member meetings.
In November, American Legion Post 3 members voted to sell the property to the developer. Conover said it is time for the American Legion to look for a new space in downtown Greenville better suited for the chapter.
“While this building has been wonderful for us for the last 90 years, our post is changing,” Conover said. “Our membership is changing. Our dealings with the community are changing.”
City staff and representatives of the developer worked with American Legion Post 3 to help find a new site for the organization, Conover said. He thinks they may have found a suitable location for the local chapter.
“Contracts have not been finalized,” Conover said. “When/if Post 3 moves from its current location, it most likely will not happen until late summer or early autumn 2025.”
As the current property owner, the American Legion plans to submit an application to demolish its current building for future development on the site. The item was presented at the city of Greenville’s project preview meeting on Dec. 17.
The city’s Design Review Board is tentatively scheduled to review the demolition application on Feb. 20, 2025. Scott Johnston, founder of Johnston Design Group, said the demolition of the American Legion building would occur later in 2025 in concert with the redevelopment of the site.
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The American Legion Post 3’s first dedicated lodge was built in the early 1930s on municipal land at 430 N. Main St. The city deeded the parcel to the American Legion in 2000. Greenville City Council recently gave initial approval for City Manager Shannon Lavrin to terminate the deed’s reverter clause, which would give the title back to the city. This would essentially allow the developer’s purchase of the American Legion property to move forward.
About the American Legion Post 3
Post 3 of the American Legion, a national wartime-veterans service organization, was established in Greenville in 1919. The chapter’s first lodge was built in 1933 using locally quarried granite. Members of the local chapter have met in the building since October 1933.
The building at 430 N. Main St. is listed on the Greenville Historic Inventory. Kirk Conover, commander of the James F. Daniel Jr. America Legion Post, said they would take several elements of the historic building before it’s demolished, including the fireplaces.
