GREENVILLE, S.C. — Greenville-based Jordon Development Co. has purchased two historic properties with an eye on preserving the legacy of two influential Black-owned businesses. Both are located near the almost 40-acre County Square redevelopment and other projects that promise to reconfigure the entirety of University Ridge.

Company founder and CEO James Jordon said the properties — the former Chef Manigault’s La Vieille Maison at the corner of Howe and Bradshaw streets, and the former law offices of Theo Mitchell at 9 Bradshaw St. — represent an important part of Greenville’s history.

Community pioneers
Jordon said the men behind the two properties had a profound impact on Greenville and were both pioneers in building businesses in a part of town that has since become one of the most sought-after neighborhoods in the city for development.

Theo Mitchell is a Greenville native and an attorney who served for decades in both the South Carolina House and Senate. Jordon said Mitchell deserves recognition for his lifetime of service and many achievements, among them his role in bringing the Urban League to Greenville.

Kenneth Manigault’s La Vieille Maison restaurant and event venue was a downtown icon from its founding in 2005 until Manigault’s death from a heart attack in 2018. His food and outgoing personality engendered in his patrons and the many wedding parties who gathered there a deep emotional connection to the man and his business, Jordon said.

“(Mitchell and Manigault) touched so many people through their lives,” Jordon said. “We have an opportunity to pay homage to their legacy through a thoughtful development.”