Project Overview
In 2025, the Hub City Spartanburgers, a minor league baseball team affiliated with Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers, played their inaugural home game at Fifth Third Park in Spartanburg, S.C. Despite being a new team, the Spartanburgers performed admirably during their season, achieving victory in more than half of their home games and earning 65 wins overall. The arrival of the Spartanburgers in South Carolina comes with plenty of excitement—not just for baseball fans but also for the significant development work taking place in downtown Spartanburg. The Grain District Parking Garage, a seven-level parking structure with 646 available spaces, is part of the initial phase of Project Core, a 20-acre mixed-use development that includes office buildings, a hotel and ballroom, future residential structures, and multiple parking structures, including Grain District. Local precast concrete manufacturer Tindall Corporation, alongside David M. Schwarz Architects, collaborated closely to bring the parking facility to life.
A Grand Slam for Spartanburg
To enable the project’s Phase 1 schedule, which specified 13 months from design to occupancy, and to construct a building that would fit appropriately within Spartanburg’s traditional architectural style, the team turned to precast concrete.
“Precast concrete was chosen due to its speed of construction, durability, and architectural flexibility—all essential for supporting a high-visibility, high-traffic area next to Fifth Third Park,” says Mike Milkovitz, corporate engineering manager at Tindall Corporation. “With events drawing large crowds, the city needed a parking solution that could be delivered quickly, perform under heavy use, and visually complement both the stadium and the surrounding aesthetic.”
Meeting the aggressive construction schedule was one of the endeavor’s most notable challenges. With the new ballpark scheduled to open by April 15, 2025, both city officials and the client mandated that the Grain District Parking Garage—along with the Spartanburgers team store located on the structure’s first level—be ready to go before the first pitch. To achieve this, a fully precast concrete superstructure, detailed through tight coordination among the architect, engineer, and fabricator, emerged as the only viable solution for meeting the time frame. The garage’s façades consist of a series of repeating exterior columns, articulated wall columns, narrow pilasters, and spandrel panels, each clad with light sandblasted architectural precast concrete and thin brick in varying patterns, including running bond, herringbone, basketweave, and soldier course. Precast concrete double tees, stairs, and flat slabs were also included in the parking structure’s design.
Leveraging precast concrete brought numerous advantages to the project. Beyond meeting the tight schedule, the team also had to contend with a limited on-site laydown area and ongoing adjacent construction. By using precast concrete, much of the construction work for the Grain District Parking Garage could occur off-site in a climate-controlled environment, not only saving space, but also limiting the number of weather-related schedule impacts. This was particularly important as Hurricane Helene was impacting the area during the erection time frame. As Milkovitz explained, the resilience and safety of precast concrete also paid massive dividends on the project.
“Designed for high-volume use during games and events, precast concrete offers superior resistance to wear, weather, and impact, minimizing long-term maintenance,” he says. “Precast also allowed for integrated stair and elevator cores, open layouts for visibility and safety, and accessibility features that are required for large public venues.”
The stylized pilaster capitals are among the more distinctive architectural elements of the building. These faceted elements, which were engineered to streamline production, were cast separately and attached in-plant at Tindall Corporation, allowing more efficient forming without compromising the unique visual language of the design. Additionally, the team leveraged reusable, coated concrete forms for several of the more geometrically complex yet repetitive components. This approach reduced waste, enhanced consistency, and supported long-term sustainability goals.
While fastballs, stolen bases, and home runs are among the most common things associated with any baseball fan’s experience, in many cases—including at the Grain District Parking Garage—precast concrete is also part of the equation. Thanks to the use of precast concrete, fans of the Spartanburgers, along with all those who will benefit from the Project Core development, have a structure they can rely on for many baseball seasons to come.
Mason Nichols is a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based writer and editor who has covered the precast concrete industry since 2013. |