GREENVILLE, S.C. — The American Legion War Museum will temporarily close its doors on North Main Street on Nov. 15, the Greenville Journal reported, a step toward vacating a roughly 3-acre downtown block slated for a high-rise mixed-use redevelopment.
Rebecca Conover, commander of James F. Daniel Jr. American Legion Post 3, announced the closure at the Greenville City Council meeting on Oct. 26, the Journal reported. She described the 1933 lodge at 430 N. Main St., at the corner of Academy Street, as “a city landmark and a symbol of veteran life in Greenville.” The Legion sold the property in 2025 to out-of-state developers, and the Greenville Design Review Board approved demolition of the lodge in February 2025, according to the Journal. A free final open house is scheduled for Nov. 14 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Legion site is paired with the former Greenville Municipal Court property next door at 426 N. Main St. Developers Green Property LLC and Bijou Properties unveiled plans for the combined block in March 2025, the Post and Courier reported at the time. Initial plans outlined by the project architect called for about 650 apartments, roughly 20,000 square feet of commercial space across three buildings and a public parking garage of about 650 to 750 spaces, according to the Upstate Business Journal. City Council had approved the $4 million sale of the courthouse property in September 2024, that publication reported.
The design has evolved since. In August 2025, the Design Review Board approved massing changes that trimmed the southern Main Street tower from 15 to 13 stories and raised the northern building at Academy Street to 17 stories, along with traffic-calming measures at the Main Street entrance and a landscaped buffer next to Springwood Cemetery, the Upstate Business Journal reported. In March 2026, the board unanimously approved architectural details and building materials for the project, which includes two apartment buildings, a parking garage, office space and retail, according to FOX Carolina. Developers still must return to the board with detailed construction plans before applying for building permits, the station reported. No construction start date has been announced.
Meanwhile, the Legion is heading to the former Blind Horse Saloon building at 1035 Lowndes Hill Road, next to the Greenville Downtown Airport. That building is being converted into separate leasable spaces, one for the Legion and one for another business, the Journal reported. The new site will include a dedicated museum area able to display more of the post’s collection than the current lodge. Member meetings will continue downtown until the renovation is finished, and a move-in date has not been set.
For brokers, developers and investors, the closure moves forward a North Main block that the project’s architect has described as lacking pedestrian activity. Once built, the project would add a large block of new apartments, street-level retail and restaurant space, and public parking at the northern end of downtown. The repositioning of the Lowndes Hill Road building also puts a former saloon building near the airport back into use, with additional space available for a second tenant.
Sources: Greenville Journal, Upstate Business Journal, Upstate Business Journal, FOX Carolina, Post and Courier
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