The planned $40M renovations for this SC city hall could come with a front porch. See the designs

Renderings of what Greenville City Hall could look like after a $35 million to $40 million renovation were released this week and in a true southern way, planners are calling the new entrance the front porch.

The plan will be considered by the city’s Design Review Board June 18. If they approve it, construction will begin in early 2027 and last about 18 months.

“City Hall is at the intersection of two defining districts, and this renovation embraces that overlap with purpose,” Mayor Knox White said. “By extending the energy of Upper Main’s active, mixed‑use corridor and drawing forward the civic character of Court Square, the design blurs the edges between them — creating a ‘new front door’ that signals openness, invites participation and strengthens the connection between the City and its residents.”

Designed by DP3 Architects with Perkins & Will, the plan calls for redoing the first floor, including a lobby with a coffee shop, expanded public gathering areas and a new City Council chambers.

The chambers now are on the 10th floor, which, along with floors 7-9 would become leasable space. City offices would use floors 1-6.

There would also be large glass facades on the building’s exterior.

The idea was to make it “less like a traditional government office and more like a welcoming public destination,” the city said in a release.

“Just as investments such as Falls Park on the Reedy, Unity Park, Fluor Field and the redevelopment of Courthouse Square near the historic Poinsett Hotel have transformed public spaces into community gathering places, the City Hall renovation aims to make local government itself more open, accessible and connected to everyday life,” the city said.

Many city departments have been moved to the new Public Safety and Municipal Complex at 204 Halton Road, including police, municipal court, fire administration and a one-stop service center for business licenses and building permits.

City departments remaining in City Hall are the mayor’s office, city manager’s office, city attorney, economic development, communications and parks, recreation and Tourism.

Initially, the city planned to sell City Hall and relocate to the Bowater Building near the Reedy River. The deal fell through and Auro Hotels purchased it for $31.25 million. It is adjacent to another major city project — the development of a conference, residential and entertainment district.

City Hall was built in the 1970s amid a contentious debate over demolishing the historic building built in 1909 by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and once used as a federal courthouse.

City government traded a piece of land for the building in 1938 and used it until the existing City Hall was built next door.

This story was originally published June 5, 2026 at 6:00 AM.