Blighted to beautiful: Development to connect students with downtown

Railroad Corner construction. (Photo by The Times and Democrat)

Orangeburg officials are moving forward with plans to transform Railroad Corner into a mixed-use gateway designed to better connect downtown with students at Claflin and South Carolina State universities.

First proposed in 2014, the long-planned redevelopment aims to revitalize a once-blighted stretch of Russell Street through multimillion-dollar property acquisitions and infrastructure upgrades. City leaders say the project is intended to boost economic development while strengthening ties between the universities and the downtown business district.

During a session with Panther reporters, Mayor Michael Butler described the project as a long-term investment in the city’s future.

“It was a blighted area, dilapidated buildings just sitting there,” Butler said. “The mayor and council are supposed to have a vision for the city. I must provide that vision.”

The redevelopment spans 1.25 acres across 11 parcels along Russell, Boulevard, Magnolia and Treadwell streets. Eight buildings previously occupied the site, many of them vacant or in disrepair.

The $33 million federally funded project includes student housing, retail space, an ice cream parlor, a multimodal transportation hub with public transit access, electric vehicle and bicycle charging stations, and a parking garage. Plans also call for a pedestrian bridge over the highway and railroad tracks, providing students and employees with safer, more direct access to downtown.

Railroad Corner will also become the new home for the Cecil Williams Civil Rights Museum, further anchoring the corridor as both a cultural and economic center.

“I’m really excited about developing Railroad Corner and downtown because that’s going to be the game changer,” Butler said. “That’s going to change the whole trajectory of the inner city. When you build downtown, you’re lifting up a lot of things.”

Savanna Wilkes, a junior at Claflin University, said the redevelopment addresses the needs of both students and the broader Orangeburg community.

“I feel as if we need more parking, student housing and the pedestrian bridge,” Wilkes said. “The way we bring in new students every semester – we have to keep building upon that to create a more inclusive environment, not just for us as students but for the community and alumni to reflect on and see what’s changed.”

The Railroad Corner development is on track to open in January 2027, with construction wrapping up by late November 2026.