After being flooded at least twice and burned last year, the Lewis Smith Shopping Center in downtown Whiteville is now only a memory.
Crews are hauling off the last few piles of debris at the site on Madison Street in downtown. Once home to a number of retail and office spaces, most recently Gurganous Feeds and a flooring center, the two-block long building off commerce Street sat in one of the lowest areas of downtown, in the flood zone for Soles Swamp.
In 2016, a torrential summer storm just before Hurricane Matthew nearly destroyed the property, and forced Gurganous to move from its early 20th century building under the iconic grain elevators to a space in the plaza. Hurricane Florence in 2018 sent several feet of water through the buildings, weakening sections of the parking lot as well as damaging the structure.
The shopping center was empty and without power when a fire of unknown origin gutted most of the building last year. Firefighters had to cut through multiple layers of roofing to get at the blaze, which was in the space between the ceiling and roof. The property was condemned shortly after the fire. Weeks later, yet another fire spread from a debris pile into the structure, causing even more damage.
The building was turned over to the city after the fire, and demolition began in the fall of 2021. City Manager Darren Currie said last fall that plans for the property have not been finalized.
Among the ideas being cast around are an amphitheater, playgrounds, greenspace, a skate park and more. Since the property lies in the overflow area for Soles Swamp, future projects might even include kayak and boating access to the swamp via Franklin Street.
A.J. Worley hopes the city will use part of the facility for a skatepark. There are few safe and legal places for skateboarding in Whiteville, and a skatepark would change that.
“Skateparks have positive economic impact,” he wrote in a Facebook post. “Skateboarders and their families are a tourism source all on their own, bringing about economic stimulation for the city.
“The tourists dine and book rooms. Local events and school programs also contribute to a stable economic growth for local businesses.”
Without a proper skate-friendly facility, Worley wrote, skaters opt for sidewalks and streets that are not optimal for boarders.
“Skateparks provide a safe environment for skateboarding,” he wrote. “Skateboarding is going to happen while skateparks exist or not. The most common injuries in skateboarding occur outside of skateparks due to surface irregularities and collisions with cars. The best way to keep them safe is to provide them a space.”
The survey will be used to help create a master plan for the property, which city officials hope can become an attraction for downtown visitors.
A survey on the city’s website, cityofwhitevillenc.com, is being used to gather community input on possible uses for the park. The survey is open to both residents and non-residents of the city.
