Claflin has plans for Way Building; former Kress site to house downtown center | Local

The university has been given a $3 million in federal resources to boost the Way Making on Memorial Plaza to transform it into the Claflin University Downtown Group Centre.

It will residence the Claflin College Centre for Social Justice, Pathway from Jail program, young professionals’ studio housing and a company incubator web-site.

The constructing, which is located at the corner of Russell Avenue and Church Avenue, could also property some retail, Orangeburg County Administrator Harold Younger mentioned.

Orangeburg County Council on Monday gave unanimous first reading acceptance to the sale of the property to the college.

Although unique facts of the agreement have been not instantly disclosed, Young explained the home will most very likely be deeded in excess of to the college with an arrangement in between the county and the college on the foreseeable future use of the home.

The Way Developing on Memorial Plaza previously housed S.H. Kress & Organization.

In February 1960, Black pupils at then-South Carolina Point out Higher education and then-Claflin College — both of those are now universities — heard about efforts to integrate lunch counters in Greensboro, N.C. They have been influenced to do the same in Orangeburg.

When nearby college students have been turned away from the Kress lunch counter in Orangeburg, they started a collection of sit-ins. Kress then shut its lunch counter. Other downtown shop proprietors reacted in equivalent style.

The Way Residence Enterprise Inc. ultimately obtained the 31,000-sq.-foot making.

Way House Corporation LLC available the property — as is — to Orangeburg County for $10 in 2012.

Orangeburg County then entered into an agreement with the Shuler Team Inc. for the property in July 2017.

“We have been approached by Claflin to consider above that agreement we at first experienced with the Shuler Group,” Young advised County Council on Monday.

He stated all the authorized due diligence has been finished to stop the county’s agreement with the Shuler Group.

“We want to extend this prospect to Claflin University to do even more development on the Kress facility to support with our mission to support the city in the revitalization of downtown Orangeburg,” he explained.

Young stated there is still capital project sales tax revenue established apart for increasing the Way Making. The cash has been used to get rid of asbestos from the creating.