'The Shed' joins list of Parks & Rec rental facilities

Public can rent The Shed by calling 864-967-9533

Simpsonville, S.C. — The Shed on Park Drive has joined the list of rental facilities for public use after sitting empty, unused and dilapidated for decades prior to its recent renovation.

Formerly known as the 'Tater Shed, The Shed can be rented by the public as an event space any day of the week from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. at a rate of $200 per day. Located behind the Simpsonville Arts Center and across from City Park, The Shed boasts enough room for 150 people, electricity and an open-air design that offers both an outdoor experience and the convenience of shelter from the elements.

Formerly known as the 'Tater Shed and used as the Simpsonville Potato House, The Shed on Park Drive is an open air rental facility available for public use | City of Simpsonville

Simpsonville Community Relations Specialist Justin Campbell said the Simpsonville Parks & Recreation Department is proud to add The Shed to its rental facilities.

"The recently completed renovation of The Shed has given a new purpose to the beloved building that was previously crumbling," Campbell said. "Turning the former Simpsonville Potato House into a space for public use both preserves its and its future in the community."

Renovations to The Shed that began with the renovation of the Simpsonville Arts Center were completed in 2022 and include new composite flooring that replaced wood flooring; open air design with six cutouts in the brick; additional support rafters; wall removal to open up the floor plan; hand railings; sliding barn doors and newly reconfigured electrical wiring | City of Simpsonville

The Shed on Park Drive served as the Simpsonville Potato House after its construction in the late 1930s or early 1940s in which Simpsonville residents seasonally stored sweet potatoes. The Simpsonville Potato House, which earned the endearing nickname the 'Tater Shed, sat for decades unused and in disrepair after it stopped serving as a curing house.

The Shed was once used as the Simpsonville Potato House where Simpsonville residents seasonally stored their sweet potatoes. While the exact year that the potato house was built is unknown, historians estimate its origins to be in the late 1930s or early 1940s | City of Simpsonville

During renovation and transformation of the old elementary school building into an arts center in 2021, the City of Simpsonville decided to breathe new life into the defunct building and re-purpose it as a venue for public use. Included in the renovations are new composite flooring that replaced wood flooring; open air design with six cutouts in the brick; additional support rafters; wall removal to open up the floor plan; hand railings; sliding barn doors and newly reconfigured electrical wiring. 

Tables and chairs can be rented with The Shed for a fee; renters can also provide their own tables and chairs. The closest restrooms to The Shed are in City Park, and ample parking is available in the City Park parking lot.

The Shed can be rented only once per day.

Shown in the background of the stage at the Hendricks Amphitheatre, The Shed sat unused and dilapidated for decades without purpose. The City of Simpsonville made the decision to renovate was once was the Simpsonville Potato House or 'Tater Shed while renovating the old Simpsonville Elementary School building to be the Simpsonville Arts Center | City of Simpsonville