Rock Hill Power House
It Takes Community to Re-Energize History Beautifully
Moving five-story tall boilers out of a historical building might deter some developers, but not Tara Sherbert. For her, these details become part of the ongoing living history of a space.
Tara and her company, The Sherbert Group, opened the doors of the newly completed Power House in Rock Hill, SC, in June 2023. The project, which includes a brewery, food hall, indoor and outdoor event space, and luxury apartments, was an economic development effort over four years in the making. Initially conceived as pure commercial space, several factors led The Sherbert Group and its partners to imagine something different for the spot.
The Power House is the crown jewel in the redevelopment of Rock Hill’s University Center historic district – 2.5 million square feet of protected historic space near Winthrop University that The Sherbert Group has spent 13 years carefully shaping into new use. During that time, they converted a nearby textile factory to office space, constructed a parking deck, and added the Easley Apartments, among other projects. The Power House is the hub that ties it all together, offering year-round community space and supporting numerous local small businesses that enjoy permanent and pop-up retail locations. The onsite property management team – also part of The Sherbert Group – keeps a full event calendar that includes everything from live music and happy hours to goat yoga and outdoor worship.
Power House in Rock Hill, SC, features a brewery, food hall, indoor and outdoor event space, and luxury apartments.
Tara and her team worked alongside the National Park Service to celebrate and preserve many nods to the past. The grounds of the Power Plant include a no-longer-forgotten train trestle – an offshoot of the nearby line that used to bring coal to the plant. It now provides a backdrop for private event space in an urban garden. Going vertical, the Power Plant preserved the two brick smokestacks – historical symbols of prosperity for the early days of the plant that now herald revitalization. Inside the plant, those five-story boilers moved out to create an open-air atrium that is an architectural marvel.
“In terms of complexity, on a scale of 1-10, the Power House project is a 10,” Tara muses. “It’s among our smaller footprints for redevelopment, but it took a great amount of care to remove the wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling boiler units without disturbing the façade.” Additionally, the residential units in the building were constructed within the historical structural steel of the building. All exterior window fixtures were restored, and the interior hallways use large window assemblies that look down into the four-story atrium. “As far as I know,” says Tara, “this the only power house or power plant that managed to develop usable space up into the coal trough area going up to the roof. We have truly reimagined and revitalized every square inch of space.”
Now that the project is complete, the mixed-assembly or mixed-use design of retail, residential, and community space seemed inevitable all along. Where Rock Hill – specifically University Center – was once a bedroom community that saw commuters going into Charlotte for employment, shopping, dining, and entertainment, it is now a vibrant place to live, work, and play, thanks to the vision of The Sherbert Group.
The outdoor space is a popular spot for events including live music, happy hours, goat yoga, and outdoor worship.
In addition to its passion projects, The Sherbert Group provides consulting and offers investments and lending services to other developers interested in leveraging tax credits for historic renovations. There is demand for Tara’s expertise as a developer with nearly three decades of experience navigating the complexities of these comprehensive development plans. Her husband Bill is the managing principal of Sherbert CPA, PC, where he specializes in the audits of real estate projects, cost certifications, tax planning, and tax credit structuring.
Together, their companies provide all of the resources and expertise to see historic renovation projects through from start to finish.
Tara shares that there is nothing more fulfilling than seeing the fruits of a public-private partnership come to life. “Every project looks and acts a little different, but knowing the state and local laws within an area and how to bring the right partners to the table is a huge advantage.” She credits York County, South Carolina as a great partner in bringing the Power House to fruition.
Mike Wollinger, senior vice president and commercial banker in the Myers Park office at TowneBank, also has been a valuable partner to the Sherberts’ business model. Mike and Tara first worked together the on Drayton Mills project in Spartanburg, SC, the largest historic renovation to date in the state that saw the redevelopment of a 7,000 sq. ft. mill into 289 luxury apartments on a 27-acre property. Governor Henry McMaster presented Tara with a 2018 Preservation Excellence Award for her work on this project.
Since the dust settled at Drayton Mills, Mike has continued to provide financing and other banking services for the Sherberts’ wide-ranging historical renovation projects, including the Power House. Most recently, he has brought in the expertise of risk advisor Ben Moore from Towne Insurance, an added value to their long relationship.
Recently, Mike brought a group of colleagues to the Power House to enjoy the cuisine and craft beverage scene. He could look up into the four-story atrium and smile, knowing that those boilers were never going to stop Tara from making this dream a reality. With her tenacity, the power of creating new community in a historic space is an unstoppable force.
Learn more at PowerHouseRockHill.com and SherbertGroup.com.