The story of the Simpsonville Arts Center started in 1939 with the construction of a small building to house an elementary school by the Works Progress Administration. Part of a jobs program to provide relief to the American people during the Great Depression, Simpsonville Elementary was one among several schools and tanneries built by the WPA in the Upstate. The building on Academy Street remained an elementary school until 2001, well after Simpsonville High School, which was built in 1921, closed in 1957.
A source of warm nostalgia for the Simpsonville community, the building was purchased by the City of Simpsonville in 2002 with plans for an arts center. Hope for a hub of arts and culture was kept alive for nearly two decades by fundraising efforts from groups like the Simpsonville Arts Foundation, a feasibility study by the Simpsonville Planning Department, countless meetings and discussions and the belief by City leadership in the true potential of the old building on Academy Street.
The final impetus for a multi-million-dollar investment in the property was the awarding of a $500,000 matching grant by the Appalachian Regional Council to the City of Simpsonville in 2019. Simpsonville hit the ground running with extensive renovations, including an updated auditorium, new lighting and sound, lobby, concessions area and green room. With ever-growing and evolving programming, several studio artists as tenants and surprises in the works, the Simpsonville Arts Center is on its way to becoming the premiere venue for the visual and performing arts in the Upstate.
