Greenville Buys Historic African American Museum Building
The city council unanimously voted to purchase 700 Arlington Ave. to preserve the former home of the Greenville Cultural Exchange Center.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in African-American
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Greenville City Council voted unanimously to buy the building at 700 Arlington Ave., the former home of the Greenville Cultural Exchange Center. State funds of more than $500,000 were approved for the $850,000 purchase.
Why it matters
The center was the city's only African American history museum when it opened in 1987, and the purchase keeps its collection and history from being lost. The building and its contents had been at risk after founder Ruth Ann Butler died in 2025.
The $850,000 purchase combines more than $500,000 in state funds with donations from council members and a contingency fund, with Gibson and Fleming each contributing $100,000 from discretionary funds. Details on the nonprofit tenant and opening schedule have not been announced.
The players
Ruth Ann Butler
Founder of the Greenville Cultural Exchange Center, whose work building the museum's collection preserved African American history in Greenville until her death in 2025.
Chandra Dillard
South Carolina state representative who obtained the state funds used toward the purchase of the former cultural center building.
The details
Rep. Chandra Dillard secured the state funding, and the city plans to lease the property to a nonprofit that may partner with other local history groups to bring their collections into the center. The city's purchase is expected to continue the work of Ruth Ann Butler, whose collection, including a prosthetic leg once used by dancer Peg Leg Bates of Fountain Inn, had been packed into storage after her death.
Timeline
1987: The Greenville Cultural Exchange Center opens as the city's only African American history museum.
2025: Founder Ruth Ann Butler dies, and her collection is packed into storage boxes.
November 9, 2026: Greenville City Council unanimously votes to buy 700 Arlington Ave.
Legacy Preservation
The city's purchase of the Greenville Cultural Exchange Center building follows its 1987 opening as the city's only African American history museum. By acquiring the property, Greenville keeps that institution's collection in place rather than letting it dissolve into storage after founder Ruth Ann Butler's death in 2025.
Greenville residents will gain a publicly owned home for African American history in the city, with the nonprofit tenant expected to continue Butler's work. The center's collection, including items once packed into storage, may become accessible again as partner groups bring their materials in.
The takeaway
Preserving local history often depends on securing a physical space, and Greenville's purchase shows how state funds and local donations can save a community institution. Readers interested in similar efforts can track how the incoming nonprofit shapes the center's programming.
What happens next
The city intends to lease the property to a nonprofit, though no date for that lease or the center's reopening has been set.
Further reading
Explore more African-American history coverage to see how communities across the region are preserving their heritage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Foxcarolina.
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