Pullman Square

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.

The Superblock was to be a large revitalizaion project in downtown Huntington. In 1970, a four-block 9-acre (36,000 m²) 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 In 1988, the city's grant to help develop the project was revoked.

Another instance included an outlet mall proposal that was announced on May 6, 1987, however, two-months later, the Herald-Dispatch reported that the project was "dead" and that the "13-year history of failure haunts (the) Superblock." Another proposal, on April 28, 1989 reported on a development that was "on tap," followed by an article several years later that stated, "super development dream fails to become reality." In 1992, a two-story shopping center was proposed but the idea failed to receive tenant support.

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Wikipedia