New downtown Rock Hill apartments set to open in May

Downtown Rock Hill may see an infusion of new residents as soon as May when the 139 Main apartments open.

Developer Skip Tuttle said the project at the site of the former F.W. Woolworth store has not been significantly affected by the weather. Construction workers are framing the second of four stories.

The estimated $3.7 million project is being developed by The Tuttle Co. and Lat Purser & Associates of Charlotte.

When done, 139 Main with have 37 apartments with 45 bedrooms. Rental rates will range from $800 to $1,400 per month, according to the Lat Purser website, mynicheapartments.com

The project meets a long-term goal for the city – bring more residents to downtown. Officials hope that more residents will spur retail and restaurant growth downtown.

Development of the Woolworth site also has been a long-term goal for RHEDC. The development corporation owned the site for 25 years. There were several attempts to revitalize the site, but none were successful. In 2014, the development corporation decided to demolish the Woolworth building. Woolworth opened its first store in downtown Rock Hill in 1916 and had been at 139 E. Main St. since 1935. The store closed in 1989.

The Woolworth lunch counter, as well as the old McCrory’s lunch counter next door, were the scenes of civil rights protests. It was at the McCrory’s lunch counter that students from Friendship Junior College were denied service and arrested. The students and their organizer – the Friendship Nine – opted to serve their time in jail, rather than pay bail and go free – sparking a new “Jail, No Bail” strategy that spread across the nation.

A walkway next to the apartment complex will have a civil rights theme. The walkway is expected to be completed by June, Tuttle said.

Adjacent businesses, such as Five & Dine, have experienced some inconveniences with construction. Owners want to remind customers they are open for business and that parking is still available downtown.

The Tuttle Co. and Lat Purser are close to completing their “due diligence” period for another downtown apartment project, this one at the corner of East Main Street and Dave Lyle Boulevard. Tuttle said that project also would be four stories but have 90 units. The Tuttle Co. and Lat Purser would purchase the site from the city.

Tuttle said their review has not discovered anything that would make the project impractical.

This story was originally published January 6, 2016 at 5:37 PM with the headline "New downtown Rock Hill apartments set to open in May."