Conway City Council to consider demolishing historic school building after fire

CONWAY, S.C. (WMBF) - City leaders in Conway are set to consider demolishing a historic school in the city after a fire earlier this week.

Conway City Council announced a special meeting taking place at 4 p.m. Thursday. Officials said the meeting will be held virtually via Zoom, but will be viewable through the city’s website or its public access TV channel.

The only two items on the agenda are a “consideration of emergency demolition of Whittemore Elementary School” and a “considering of closing request for proposals for Whittemore Elementary School property.”

According to officials, the old school property on Maple Street caught fire early Tuesday. Crews continued to fight hotspots at the scene for over six hours.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is investigating the cause of the fire.

No other details about the incident were immediately available.

The Whittemore Elementary building has been empty for decades and has remained a hot topic among those wanting to preserve the property.

In January, it was revealed the costs to renovate Whittemore had nearly doubled to around $30 million.

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