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Spartanburg receives state parks award for South Side Cultural Monument
Summary
The South Side Cultural Monument earned the South Carolina Recreation and Park Association's 2025 Parks Excellence Award; presenters credited long-term community engagement, state representatives and local partners for enabling the project.
The city of Spartanburg received the 2025 Parks Excellence Award from the South Carolina Recreation and Park Association for the South Side Cultural Monument, a public-arts and placemaking project staff and presenters said preserves and interprets the history of Liberty Street and the city's Black commercial corridor.
Jim Headley of the South Carolina Recreation and Park Association praised the monument’s community roots and the collaboration that carried the project through pandemic-related delays and manufacturing shortages. He cited past and present elected officials and local partners—including Representative Price, Senator Glenn Reese, Representative Henderson Myers, the Spartanburg African American Heritage Cultural Committee, artist Jessica (affiliated with Wofford) and Parks Director Kim Brown—for their roles in securing grants and support.
A video played for council recounted Liberty Street’s history as a commercial and cultural center—referred to in the presentation as a local 'Black Wall Street'—and framed the monument as a means of honoring lost institutions and restoring historical memory lost during mid-20th century urban renewal. The mayor accepted the award and said the presentation photo will hang in the mayor’s office.
Council and presenters emphasized the monument’s role in placemaking, community pride, and economic and cultural development; staff and council thanked volunteers and partners for their work. No council action or vote was required for the award presentation.
