Spartanburg in Spartanburg County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Montgomery Building

Photographed by J. J. Prats, May 18, 2025

1. Montgomery Building Marker, Side One

Inscription. The Montgomery Building was completed in 1924. The 10-story Chicago skeletal frame construction skyscraper was designed by the firm of Lockwood, Greene & Co., who also designed many upstate textile mills. The home of Capt. John H. Montgomery, founder of Spartan Mills, once stood here and it was Montgomery’s sons who developed the property as high-rise office space. Many companies associated with Spartanburg’s textile industry once maintained offices here.

In addition to office space the Montgomery Building also housed a theater and radio station. The theater, first known as The Montgomery and later as The Carolina, was used for live performances and later for motion pictures. In 1956 Elvis Presley performed here. The theater closed in the 1970s. The building was also home to Spartanburg’s first commercial radio station. WSPA began broadcasting as an AM station in 1930 with studios on the top floor of the building.

Erected 2018 by Department of Archives and History. Sponsored by BF Spartanburg LLC. (Marker Number 42-34.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Architecture. A significant historical year for this entry is 1924.

Location. 34° 57.133′ N, 81° 55.978′ W. Marker is in

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Spartanburg, South Carolina, in Spartanburg County. It is on North Church Street north of East John Street, on the right when traveling north. It is on the left side of the building, facing Church Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 187 N Church St, Spartanburg SC 29306, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Upstate.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Central Methodist Church (within shouting distance of this marker); To Honor the Memory of These Men (approx. 0.2 miles away); Pink Anderson/The Marshall Tucker Band (approx. 0.2 miles away); Chaser the Border Collie (approx. 0.2 miles away); Daniel Morgan Monument (approx. 0.2 miles away); Citizens & Southern National Bank (approx. 0.2 miles away); Palmetto Building (approx. 0.2 miles away); Dr. Rosa H. Gantt (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Spartanburg.

Also see . . . Wikipedia entry. Excerpt:

It was a unique renovation project in that the building’s thousands of precast concrete exterior panels were replaced with replicated panels made of modern materials and fit to historic standards. The original facade panels were cast using an inferior concrete mix and flawed techniques which, over time, caused the panels to buckle and deteriorate. Molds were made from the original panels, sharpened by an artist to capture all the details, and new panels were created as exact replicas (to historic standards) using the molds.

The developer began renovations
Photographed by J. J. Prats, May 18, 2025

2. Montgomery Building Marker, Side Two
on the 10-story building in early 2017 and completed the project in December 2018.

(Submitted on June 8, 2025.)

Montgomery Building Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, May 18, 2025

3. Montgomery Building Marker

Montgomery Building, Spartanburg, NC image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, May 18, 2025

4. Montgomery Building, Spartanburg, NC

Street-level view of the historic Montgomery Building image. Click for full size.

By PegasusRacer28 (CC BY-SA 4.0) vis Wikimedia Commons, March 1, 2020

5. Street-level view of the historic Montgomery Building

Credits. This page was last revised on June 8, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 8, 2025, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 137 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on June 8, 2025, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.