Venue Information

Brutontown, originally named Bruton Town, was a black settlement off of Poinsett Highway and Paris Mountain Road that dates back to the 1800’s. Bruton’s Shop, a blacksmith forge, was a landmark at the time and popular destination for this then rural community. As the community grew and diversified over the years many residents left the farms for jobs in manufacturing and the mills. In the 1970’s the Greenville County Redevelopment Authority began to renovate Brutontown. The Authority purchased a former army barracks from Donaldson Air Base where the Greenville County Recreation District established a community center program. A new community center was built in 1994 through a partnership between the agencies. In 2002 the Redevelopment Authority committed $15 million to additional renovations in the community and determined that the site of the existing center was better suited for housing. A new center was built on Leo Lewis Street and opened in 2008. Today the center features a modern ...