Pullman Square

Story

Pullman Square is a lifestyle center in downtown Huntington, West Virginia, United States between 8th and 10th Street and 3rd Avenue and Veteran's Memorial Boulevard. It is located on what was known as the Superblock, a large urban renewal project that saw the demolishing of four city-square-blocks in 1970.HistorySuperblockThe Superblock was to be a large revitalizaion project in downtown Huntington. In 1970, a four-block 9acre vacant site was created for the next "large development," however, problems besieged the area for decades. In 1974, a master plan was developed for the vacant site.In 1977, the Huntington Civic Arena was constructed on one parcel. One year later, a group of entrepreneurs wanted to construct a 350-room hotel and retail stores, however, the plan died by 1980. In 1983, the National Shamrock Development and Investment Company wanted to develop the property and took a two-year lease on the project. By mid-1985, however, the lease ran out and the developers could not receive financial backing due to the failure in their $15 million Urban Development Action Grant request.In the spring of 1986, the Huntington Development Corporation suggested that an off-track betting facility be constructed, however, the idea died after Governor Arch Moore vetoed an off-track betting bill that was critical to the project's success. In 1987, the Webb Companies presented a plan for a $110 million mixed-use complex called RiverCenter that would feature a 20-story office tower, an underground parking garage and a skyway to the Harris Riverfront Park. The project failed when two large tenants could not be found to anchor the project. In 1988, the city's grant to help develop the project was revoked.