Spartanburg’s historic Bon Haven mansion to be demolished

After several years of unsuccessful community efforts to preserve Bon Haven, the historic mansion on the north side of Spartanburg is slated to be demolished.

The city of Spartanburg’s building inspections department issued a demolition permit Wednesday for the property at 728 N. Church St. The permit, which doesn’t say when the house will be torn down, was issued to Dexter Cleveland, a descendent of the house’s original owner.

The house was built in 1884 by John B. Cleveland, a founder of Converse College and of the city's water and public school system.

Bon Haven is one of the finest examples of Second Empire-style architecture in the Upstate, according to its National Register of Historic Places application. Although the home is on the national register, it is not protected from demolition or dismantling.

City Councilmember Erica Brown, who represents the district that includes Bon Haven, said she has always appreciated the value and significance of historic properties in cities, and was sorry plans didn't work out to save Bon Haven.

“I know there was an attempt a few years back to raise the capital and money to intervene, and unfortunately that did not come to fruition,” she said. “When that happened I knew, even with the growth we’ve had as a city, in order for the city to have some stake in it, Bon Haven had to have some economically viable component for the community … Unfortunately, for this piece of property, this did not come to be.”

Bon Haven is currently owned by Cleve Land 3 Limited Partnership and LEROMA Family Partnership, which are heirs of John B. Cleveland.