Previously Published Articles
RECYCLING THE PAST TO CLAIM THE FUTURE
BY CONNIE DRISCOLL MILLER
Rebecca and Harry Dalton (Becca and Harry to their friends) never intended to develop the former ‘Peoples National Bank’ building in downtown Rock Hill. The original developer could not make the numbers work and the project came to a stand-still. Mr. Dalton made a call to Martin and Harriet Goode, who had originally committed to the idea of relocating to the downtown area. (Harriet Goode wanted to live on the top floor of the People’s National Bank building and have a roof top garden.) With their commitment and the involvement of former Rock Hill City Manager Joe Lanford, the Daltons purchased the People’s National Bank building and the two storied annex next door.
Joe Lanford had been involved with the initial plans to revitalize and restore the downtown area, while holding the office of City Manager. He and Harry Dalton formed a partnership for the purpose of renovating the almost century old building and its slightly older annex.
“He was our savior.” (Harry Dalton says of his friend Joe Lanford) We could not have done it without the support of the Lanfords and Goodes.”
The renovation took two years, with the couples finally moving in at the end of the summer in 2001. Harriet Goode loves the home they have made on the top floor of the building, as well as the changes they made to what was to be rental space. Part of the rental area became Mrs. Goode’s art studio (she is an accomplished artist). The rest of the space and the long hallway leading to it were converted into an art gallery known as Gallery 5. For several years it was the only commercial gallery in the city that showed exclusively original art.
ROCK HILLS FIRST MODERN OFFICE BUILDING
The People’s National Bank Building was completed in 1910. It was home to the People’s National Bank, the initial bank of Rock Hill, S.C. Built by the Columbia, S.C. firm of Shand and Lafaye, it is a first-rate example of the firm’s commercial designs. The People’s Bank was the largest bank in the Fifth Congressional District, as well as the tallest building in Rock Hill. It stood four stories, plus a basement. It contained the first passenger elevator in the city and housed many of the new city’s most important professions and businesses. The Great Depression closed the doors on other area banks, but the People’s Bank survived and stood as the only banking institution in Rock Hill for almost twenty years. The Peoples Bank merged with Citizens and Southern Bank of South Carolina in 1964. The bank moved out of the old building in 1972 as the economy shifted from the once thriving downtown to Rock Hill’s suburbs. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
The Dalton Annex, located next to the old People’s Bank building, was initially built around 1900 and was used for retail purposes until both buildings fell empty in 1988. Deserted for almost fifteen years, the two neglected buildings became a sad testimony to Rock Hill’s past.
A SHIFT IN POINT OF VIEW
In 1974, Harry Dalton took four teenagers to the Rocky Mountains for several weeks of camping. It was on this trip that he began his journey into environmental awareness. Over the next three weeks the family spent every evening by the fire debating the issues of conservation and consumption. His children won the debates.
The next year Rebecca and Harry Dalton joined the Sierra Club with a decision to commit much of their resources to the environmental movement. The Sierra Club became their primary tool in distributing those resources. Mr. and Mrs. Dalton have been vocal advocates for the environment for the past 34 years and have received many national and local awards for their outstanding record of service. Their participation has helped preserve some 1800 acres of land including Nannie’s Mountain in the Five Points Community of Lake Wylie and the Worth Mountain area of the Broad River.
The couple, both native to Charlotte, N.C., relocated here from Greenville, S.C. more than fifty years ago. They have a strong since of community and have worked tirelessly over the years through various civic and church organizations. They have been members of St. Johns Methodist Church since arriving in Rock Hill. They recently endowed Winthrop University with a million dollars in order to establish a chair for Environmental Studies. In 2006 Rebecca and Harry Dalton received the Medal of Honor of the Arts from Winthrop University in thanks for their significant personal and financial contributions in the ‘arts’. Another renovated building on Main Street which houses the Art Council of York County was named the Dalton Gallery, a surprise gift to the couple from the community.
URBAN RENEWAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISM
With Harry Dalton’s retirement as President of Caraustar Industries, the couple decided it was time to downsize. They sold the larger house they had lived in while raising their four children. They also felt it was time to give up on trying to care for a yard. The couple wanted to do something different. They decided to move downtown.
“The more obvious choices were to move to a smaller house or to enter a planned retirement facility. The less obvious choice was to combine the two and to move to a more convenient and efficient location and to put our environmental ‘speak’ into practice. Why destroy a thousand acres of forests and rural land rather than develop or re-use existing property in an urban area?” remarks Harry Dalton. “By using existing infrastructure, by increasing transportation efficiencies, we have less destruction of rural land, green space, and habitat.”
The Daltons feel that downtown provides convenience to amenities, safety and a feeling of community. They also like the idea of being close to the arts and hope that their example will encourage both residents and business owners to move into the area.
Both the Goodes and the Daltons love being able to look out onto their neighborhood and observe the activities. Harriet Goode describes the views as astonishing. It is a reminder to her of how the Earth is “indeed remarkable.” She loves to watch the sun come up over St. Johns Methodist Church and each day she thanks “God Almighty and Harry Dalton” that she is able to live downtown.
The Daltons, Goodes and Joe Lanford wanted the building to remain as original as possible. Except for being a century older, the exterior is as it was when originally built. They saved almost all the existing doors and were able to keep most of the interior walls in their original locations. Marble tops and hardware from the old bank were reused in some of the apartments. The heavy door from the bank safe was made into a table. It sits in the rear of the lobby. The building has six residential units plus current commercial spaces. Besides the Daltons and the Goodes, the other residential tenants include a retiree and two other couples who operate businesses within the city. Joe Lanford has his company, Joe Lanford & Associates, located in one of the commercial spaces.
Dalton reminds us that our communities were initially based on mixed usage. Towns and cities like Rock Hill began to separate their work places from their living spaces, as automobiles became commonplace and highway construction made commuting easier. Harry Dalton feels as if the miles between work and home have increased in correlation to our prosperity.
“In the process, cities like Rock Hill lost some of their community spirit. We lost our feeling of ‘place’. And we certainly have left a heavy footprint on our natural environment. We want to maintain a feeling of ‘place’ about our central city. If we aren’t careful, Rock Hill will become just another ‘ringed city,’ a city without a heart.”
Harry and Rebecca Dalton place their hopes for the future on the shoulders of our youth. “I hope the younger generation will quickly fall into step in the environmental movement,” Harry says. He sees a tremendous increase in political activism among the 18 to 28 year olds and is hopeful it is a sign of the next greatest generation.
“My kids taught me to look beyond my nose during a camping trip in 1974. Come on kids; please help us again!” Mr. Dalton implores.
Harry and Rebecca Dalton hope that how they live their lives and the causes that they support have a positive effect on the world around them. Looking at the renovated buildings in downtown Rock Hill, the answer would have to be a resounding “yes!”
[First published in the "Rock Hill Magazine"]
