First Look: Honor Tower opening soon in Greenville’s Unity Park

Residents and visitors alike will soon be able to experience Greenville’s scenic views from the top of the Thomas and Vivian A. Wong Honor Tower.

The new observation tower rises 10 stories above Unity Park, offering a sweeping panorama of the city’s downtown skyline and the rolling hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Along with its 360-degree views, it provides a place to pay tribute to active-duty and veteran military personnel, police officers, firefighters and other first responders.

A grand opening will be held for Veterans Day on Nov. 11. The long-awaited tower represents the final planned element for Unity Park.

Concept and design

Honor Tower, designed by Paul Endres, is the next phase of the Unity Park project.

A groundbreaking for Honor Tower in Unity Park was held June 11.

Stairs for The Thomas and Vivian A. Wong Honor Tower in Unity Park are expected to be installed in January 2025. The stairs were made by The Heirloom Companies, based in Gowensville.

Construction continues on Honor Tower in Unity Park on Jan. 13.

Unity Park Honor Tower stairs installation in February 2025.

Honor Tower in Greenville’s Unity Park will open for Veterans’ Day on Nov. 11. The tower’s observation deck offers panoramic views of downtown Greenville and the Blue Ridge Mountains.

An observation tower can be found in the earliest conceptual rendering of what would become Unity Park. The rendering was created by the late Tom Keith, a landscape architect with Greenville’s Arbor Engineering and the lead designer of Falls Park.

Greenville Mayor Knox White said the idea was for the observation tower to be a focal point within the 60-acre park. It was designed to serve as the park’s signature attraction, similar to Liberty Bridge in Falls Park.

“It’s a symbol of Unity Park,” White said.

Paul Endres with Endrestudio, a California-based architecture firm, was hired to design the tower for Unity Park. Inspiration was drawn from the historic textile mill smokestacks and other similar structures around Greenville. Honor Tower underwent several iterations before landing on its final design.

Determining the height of the Honor Tower was an important step in the design process. A bucket truck was used to test height to ensure visitors had the best view possible from the tower’s observation deck. Greenville City Councilmember Lillian Brock Flemming was one of the first people to see this view.

“The tower represents honor for those who have put their lives on the line for us,” said Mary Duckett, president of the Southernside Neighborhoods in Action.

“The view is beautiful,” Flemming said. “It was exciting because I got a chance to see the community from a different perspective.”

The 125-foot tower features an aluminum outer structure with a contemporary, spiral design. A double-helix staircase surrounds a glass-walled elevator shaft that rises to the observation deck. The observation deck sits 99 feet above ground and includes protective screening and a guardrail.

Funding and naming

Public and private funding was used to create the nearly $11 million observation tower. Greenville City Council approved the funding for the tower in 2022. The city contributed $3.5 million from local accommodations taxes and $1 million in hospitality tax funding for construction. Construction savings from Unity Park were also used for the tower.

A total of $5.63 million in private funding was raised for the project, including a $1 million donation from Vivian Wong and her late husband, Thomas. White said the Wongs expressed early interest in providing funding to help create Unity Park. The tower was named in honor of the couple’s donation.

The Philip J. Carlton Memorial Plaza will be located at the base of the tower, serving as a designated space for ceremonies, memorials and tributes honoring military veterans and first responders. A $500,000 donation was made to the project in 2023 in honor of the late businessman and philanthropist. Several gardens will also surround the memorial plaza.

“(Honor Tower) is a lasting monument that symbolizes what can be done, what people can do when they come together,” said the Rev. Stacey Mills with Mountain View Baptist Church, located near Unity Park.

Construction and operation

Greenville-based Harper General Contractors started site work on the tower in April 2024, prior to a groundbreaking ceremony in June. The Heirloom Companies, based in Spartanburg County, created the stainless steel stairs for the project. Construction of the tower took approximately 19 months to complete.

Honor Tower now stands as the centerpiece of Unity Park. It was strategically placed on the park’s highest ground between the former sites of two segregated parks: Mayberry Park and Meadowbrook Park.

“This was once segregated. Now it’s unified,” said Mary Duckett, president of Southernside Neighborhoods in Action.

Thomas and Vivian A. Wong Honor Tower in Unity Park, downtown Greenville.

Once in operation, the tower will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. At night, it will be internally lit for park visitors to enjoy.

General admission will be free for the first year. The observation deck is accessible by stairs or elevator and will have a 30-person maximum capacity. According to the city, no bags will be allowed within the tower.

For more information on Honor Tower, visit greenvillesc.gov/1868/Honor-Tower.

What’s in a name?

The Thomas and Vivian A. Wong Honor Tower’s name pays homage to military veterans and first responders, including police officers and firefighters.

“The Peace Center, Liberty Bridge, Honor Tower — it certainly tells a story about Greenville and what we value,” said Greenville Mayor Knox White.

What’s next?

Greenville Mayor Knox White said the property along the southern side of Mayberry Street has great potential for mixed-use development. The city of Greenville owns a large portion of the property across from Unity Park along Mayberry Street. White said officials plan to look at the future of the city-owned property in the next year.