South Carolina Statehouse
Columbia is the state capital and largest city of South Carolina. As of 2006,
estimates for the population of the city proper is 122,819[1]. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a small portion of the city extends into Lexington County. The city is the center of a rapidly growing metro area of 703,771.
The city's name is derived from a poetic name for Christopher Columbus.
Located just miles ( km) northwest of South Carolina's geographic center, Columbia is the primary city of the
Midlands region of South Carolina, which comprises several counties in the
central portion of the state. As such it is centrally located to the rest of the state. Founded in 1786 as the site of South
Carolina's new capital city, it was one of the first planned cities in the United States. The area is often cited for its high quality of life offerings, with its many cultural
amenities, parks, and recreational features. At the confluence of two major rivers, Columbia is one of the best destinations in
the country for kayak and canoe enthusiasts. It is also known for
its large number of independent theater groups. Columbia was recently one of 30 communities named "America's Most
Livable Communities." The award was given by the Washington-based non-profit Partners for Livable Communities and honors communities that are developing themselves in the creative economy.
Columbia has also been named a top midsized market for relocating families in the nation.[2] Increasingly, Columbia is becoming recognized as an ideal city for retirees.
Where to Retire magazine listed Columbia as one of its 25 best choices for retirement as a "budget town" in its
January/February 2007 edition [3] . A
RetireHomeSmart.com[4] survey of retirement cities lists
Columbia as America's second best retirement city.[5]
History
Early history
From the creation of Columbia by the South Carolina General Assembly
in 1787, the site of Columbia was important to the overall development of the state. The Congarees, a frontier fort on the west
bank of the Congaree River, was the head of navigation in the Santee River system. A ferry was established by the colonial government in 1754 to connect the fort with
the growing settlements on the higher ground on the east bank.
Like many other significant early settlements in colonial America, Columbia is on the fall
line from the Appalachian Mountains. The fall line is the spot where rivers
usually become unnavigable when sailing upstream, and is also the spot farthest downstream where falling water can usefully power
a mill.
State Senator John Lewis Gervais of Ninety Six introduced a bill that was approved
by the legislature on March 22, 1786 to create a new state
capital. There was considerable argument over the name for the new city. According to published accounts, Senator Gervais said he
hoped that "in this town we should find refuge under the wings of COLUMBIA," for that was the name which he wished it to be
called. One legislator insisted on the name Washington, but Columbia won out by a vote of 11-7 in the state
senate.
The site was chosen as the new state capital in 1786, due to its central location in the state.
State legislature first met there in 1790. After remaining under the direct government of the
legislature for the first two decades of its existence, Columbia was incorporated as a village in 1805 and then as a city in 1854.
Columbia Canal Spillway at Riverfront Park
Columbia received a large stimulus to development when it was connected in a direct water route to Charleston, by the Santee Canal. This canal connected
the Santee and Cooper Rivers in a 22 mile section. It was first chartered in 1786 and completed in 1800, making it one of the
earliest canals in the United States. With increased railroad traffic, it ceased operation around 1850.
The commissioners designed a town of 400 blocks in a two-mile (3 km) square along the river. The blocks were divided into
half-acre lots and sold to speculators and prospective residents. Buyers had to build a house at least 30 feet long and 18 feet
wide within three years or face an annual 5% penalty. The perimeter streets and two through streets were 150 feet wide. The
remaining squares were divided by thoroughfares 100 feet wide. The width was determined by the belief that dangerous and pesky
mosquitoes could not fly more than 60 feet without dying of starvation along the way.
Columbians still enjoy most of the magnificent network of wide streets.
The commissioners comprised the local government until 1797 when a Commission of Streets and Markets was created by the
General Assembly. Three main issues occupied most of their time: public drunkenness, gambling, and poor sanitation.
As one of the first planned cities in the United States, Columbia began to grow rapidly. Its population was nearing 1,000
shortly after the turn of the century.
Nineteenth century
Ruins, as seen from the State House, 1865
-
In 1801, South Carolina College (now known as the University of South
Carolina) was founded in Columbia. The city was chosen as the site of the institution in part to unite the state's
citizens in the upcountry and the lowcountry. Also, the leaders of South Carolina wished to personally monitor the progress and
development of the school. For many years after its founding, commencement exercises were held in December while the state
legislature was in session.
Columbia received its first charter as a town in 1805. An intendant and six wardens would govern the town. John Taylor was the
first elected intendant. He later served in both houses of the General Assembly, both houses of Congress and eventually as
governor of the state. By 1816, there were 250 homes in the town and a population over 1,000.
Columbia became chartered as a city in 1854, with an elected mayor and six aldermen. Two years later, they had a police force
consisting of a full-time chief and nine patrolmen. The city continued to grow at a rapid pace, as throughout the 1850s and 1860s
Columbia was the largest inland city in the Carolinas. Railroad transportation served as a
significant cause of population expansion in Columbia during this time. Rail lines that reached the city in the 1840s were first
and foremost interested in transporting cotton bales, not passengers. Cotton
was the lifeblood of the Columbia community, as in 1850, directly or indirectly, virtually all of the city's commercial and
economic activity was related to cotton.
Columbia's First Baptist Church hosted the South Carolina Secession Convention on December
17, 1860. The delegates drafted a resolution in favor of secession without dissent, 159-0.
Columbia's location made it an ideal location for other conventions and meetings within the Confederacy. During the Civil War,
bankers, railroad executives, teachers, and theologians from several states met in the city from time to time to discuss certain
matters.
On February 17, 1865, during the Civil War, much of
Columbia was destroyed by fire while being occupied by Union troops under the command of General William Tecumseh Sherman. Legend has it, Columbia's First Baptist Church missed by a hair from
being torched by Sherman's troops. As the story goes, the soldiers marched up to the church and asked the grounds keeper if he
could direct them to the location of the church where the declaration of secession was signed. The loyal grounds keeper directed
the men to another church, a Methodist church, located nearby; thus, the historic landmark avoided being destroyed by Union
soldiers.
Controversy surrounding the burning of the city started soon after the war ended. General Sherman blamed the high winds and
retreating Confederate soldiers for firing bales of cotton, which had been stacked in the streets. General Sherman denied
ordering the burning, though he did order militarily significant structures, such as the Confederate Printing Plant, destroyed.
Firsthand accounts by local residents, Union soldiers, and a newspaper reporter offer a tale of revenge by Union troops for
Columbia's and South Carolina's pivotal role in leading Southern states to secede from the Union, whereas other accounts (as documented in, for example, James W. Loewen's Lies Across America: What Our Historic Sites Get Wrong) portray it as mostly the
fault of the Confederacy. Today, tourists can follow the path General Sherman's army took to enter the city and see structures or
remnants of structures that survived the fire.
During Reconstruction, Columbia became the focus of considerable attention. Reporters,
journalists, travelers, and tourists flocked to South Carolina's capital city to witness a Southern state legislature whose
members included ex-slaves. The city also made somewhat of a rebound following the devastating fire of 1865; a mild construction
boom took place within the first few years of Reconstruction, and repair of railroad tracks in outlying areas created jobs for
area citizens.
Historic photo from the steps of the SC Statehouse, early 20th century
Twentieth century
The first few years of the 20th century saw Columbia emerge as a regional textile manufacturing center. In 1907, Columbia had
six mills in operation: Richland, Granby, Olympia Mills, Capital City, Columbia, and Palmetto.
Combined, they employed over 3,400 workers with an annual payroll of $819,000, giving the Midlands an economic boost of over $4.8
million.
Columbia had no paved streets until 1908, when 17 blocks of Main Street were surfaced. There were, however, 115 publicly
maintained street crossings at intersections to keep pedestrians from having to wade through a sea of mud between wooden
sidewalks. As an experiment, Washington Street was once paved with wooden blocks. This proved to be the source of much local
amusement when they buckled and floated away during heavy rains. The blocks were replaced with asphalt paving in 1925.
The years 1911-1912 were something of a construction boom for Columbia, with $2.5 million worth of construction occurring in
the city. These projects included the National Loan & Exchange Bank Building (now known as the Barringer Building) on Main
Street, the Union Bank Building at Main and Gervais, the Palmetto National Bank, a shopping arcade, and large hotels at Main and
Laurel (the Jefferson) and at Main and Wheat (the Gresham).
In 1917, the city was selected as the site of Camp Jackson, a U.S. military installation which was officially classified as a
"Field Artillery Replacement Depot." The first recruits arrived at the camp on September 1,
1917.
In 1930, Columbia was the hub of a trading area with approximately 500,000 potential customers. It had 803 retail
establishments, 280 of them being food stores. There were also 58 clothing and apparel outlets, 57 restaurants and lunch rooms,
55 filling stations, 38 pharmacies, 20 furniture stores, 19 auto dealers, 11 shoe stores, nine cigar stands, five department
stores, and one book store. Wholesale distributors located within the city numbered 119, with one-third of them dealing in
food.
In 1934, the federal courthouse at the corner of Main and Laurel streets was purchased by the city for use as City Hall. Built
of granite from nearby Winnsboro, Columbia City Hall is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places. Designed by Alfred Bult
Millet, President Ulysses S. Grant's Federal architect, the building was completed in
1876. Millet, best known for his design of the Executive Office Building in Washington,
D.C., had originally designed the building with a clock tower. Large cost overruns probably caused it to be left out.
Copies of Mullet's original drawings can be seen on the walls of City Hall alongside historic photos of Columbia's
beginnings.
Reactivated Camp Jackson became Fort Jackson in 1940, giving the
military installation the permanence desired by city leaders at the time. The fort was annexed into the city in the fall of 1968,
with approval from the Pentagon.
In the early 1940s, shortly after the attacks on Pearl Harbor which began America's involvement in World War II, Lt. Colonel Jimmy Doolittle and his group of
now-famous pilots began training for the Doolittle Raid over Tokyo at what is now
Columbia Metropolitan Airport.[14] They trained in
B-25 Mitchell bombers, the same model as the plane that now rests at Columbia's
Owens Field in the Curtiss-Wright hangar.[6]
The 1940s saw the beginning of efforts to reverse Jim Crow laws and racial
discrimination in Columbia. In 1945, a federal judge ruled that the city's black teachers were entitled to equal pay to that of
their white counterparts. However, in years following, the state attempted to strip many blacks of their teaching credentials.
Other issues in which the blacks of the city sought equality concerned voting rights and segregation (particularly regarding
public schools). On August 21, 1962, eight downtown chain stores
served blacks at their lunch counters for the first time. The University of South
Carolina admitted its first black students in 1963; around the same time, many vestiges of segregation began to disappear
from the city, blacks attained membership on various municipal boards and commissions, and a non-discriminatory hiring policy was
adopted by the city. These and other such signs of racial progression helped earn the city the 1964 All-America City Award for the second time (the first being in 1951) and a 1965 article in
Newsweek magazine lauded Columbia as a city that had "liberated itself from the plague
of doctrinal apartheid."
The area's population continued to grow during the 1950s, having experienced a 40% increase from 186,844 to 260,828, with
97,433 people residing within the city limits of Columbia.
Historic preservation has played a significant part into shaping Columbia into the city that it is today. The historic Robert
Mills House was restored in 1967, which inspired the renovation and restoration of other historic structures such as the
Hampton-Preston House and homes associated with President Woodrow Wilson,
Maxcy Gregg, Mary Boykin Chestnut, and noted free black
Celia Mann. In the early 1970s, the University of South Carolina initiated the refurbishment of its "Horseshoe." Several area
museums also benefited from the increased historical interest of that time, among them the Fort Jackson Museum, the McKissick
Museum on the campus of the University of South Carolina, and most notably the South Carolina State Museum, which opened in 1988.
Mayor Kirkman Finlay, Jr. was the driving force behind the refurbishment of Seaboard Park, now known as Finlay Park, in the historic Congaree Vista district, as well as the compilation of the $60 million Palmetto
Center package, which gave Columbia a distinctive office tower, parking garage, and the Columbia Marriott which opened in
1983.
The year 1980 saw the Columbia metropolitan population reach 410,088 and in 1990 this figure had hit approximately 470,000.
The city continues to focus on improving the great quality of life of its citizens and further diversifying the local economy,
which will continue to bring growth and vitality for many years to come.
Recent history
Looking northward toward Main Street from the SC Statehouse steps
The 1990s and early 2000s also saw revitalization in the downtown area. The Congaree Vista district along Gervais Street, once
known as a warehouse district, became a thriving district of art galleries, shops, and restaurants. The Colonial Center (formerly known as the Carolina Center) opened in 2002, and brought several big-named
concerts and shows to Columbia. The Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center opened in 2004, and a new convention center hotel
opened in September 2007. Several residential developments are also in the works for the Vista.
Some have suggested the redevelopment efforts by the city have not been universally well received and have not brought the
numbers of people back downtown as expected; however, in recent years, thanks to aggressive renovation and construction efforts
by the private sector, increasing numbers are moving downtown. Several notable historic downtown Columbia buildings have been
converted into apartments and condos, while other downtown offerings are housed in entirely new buildings.
Geography and Climate
Columbia is located at 34°1'1" North, 81°0'38" West (34.017105, -81.010759)1. Autumn, winter and spring are mild, with
occasional winter nights below freezing but rarely extended cold. The city is at its most beautiful in the spring when masses of
azaleas and other spring flowers bloom. Columbia's summers can be very hot, being primarily
recognized for their extreme humidity. The city, like other cities of the southeast, is prone to Inversions, which trap ozone and other pollutants over the area. One of Columbia's most
interesting geographical features is its fall line, which is a boundary between an upland
region and a coastal plain across which rivers from the upland region drop to the plain as falls or rapids. Columbia grew up at
the fall line of the Congaree River, which is formed by the convergence of the
Broad River and the Saluda River. The Congaree was the
farthest inland point of river navigation. The energy of falling water also powered Columbia's early mills. The city has capitalized on this scenic location which includes three rivers by recently christening
itself "The Columbia Riverbanks Region."
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area
of 330.8 km² (127.7 mi²). 324.3 km² (125.2 mi²) of it is land and 6.4 km² (2.5
mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.95% water.
| Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures |
| Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
| Rec High °F |
84 |
84 |
91 |
94 |
101 |
107 |
107 |
107 |
101 |
101 |
90 |
83 |
| Norm High °F |
55.1 |
59.5 |
67.4 |
75.7 |
83.1 |
89.1 |
92.1 |
90 |
84.8 |
75.8 |
66.7 |
57.8 |
| Norm Low °F |
34 |
36.3 |
43.5 |
50.7 |
60 |
67.9 |
71.8 |
70.6 |
64.6 |
51.5 |
42.6 |
36.1 |
| Rec Low °F |
-1 |
5 |
4 |
26 |
34 |
44 |
54 |
53 |
40 |
23 |
12 |
4 |
| Precip (in) |
4.66 |
3.84 |
4.59 |
2.98 |
3.17 |
4.99 |
5.54 |
5.41 |
3.94 |
2.89 |
2.88 |
3.38 |
| Source: USTravelWeather.com [15] |
Metropolitan area
The metropolitan statistical area of Columbia has a population
estimate of 703,771, according to the 2006 estimates performed by the U.S. Census
Bureau.
In Census 2000, the population for the then two-county metropolitan area (Richland and Lexington) was 536,691, of which about
78% was within the Columbia urbanized area proper (2000 pop.: 420,537). In June 2003, the United States Census Bureau added four
more counties — Fairfield, Calhoun, Kershaw, and Saluda — to Columbia's standard metropolitan statistical area, giving its total
population a significant boost. It now ranks as the largest in South Carolina.
Further, the Columbia metropolitan area with the Newberry micropolitan
area forms the Columbia Newberry Combined Statistical Area which has
741,533 people from 2006 census estimates.
Columbia's metropolitan counties include:
Columbia's largest suburbs and environs presently are:
|
|
- Irmo: Pop. 11,039
- Forest Acres: Pop. 10,908
- Woodfield, Richland County: Pop. 9,238 (unincorporated)
- Red Bank, Lexington County: Pop. 8,811 (unincorporated)
- Oak Grove, Lexington County: Pop. 8,183 (unincorporated)
- Camden: Pop. 6,682
- Lugoff, Kershaw County: Pop. 6,278 (unincorporated)
|
Military Bases
Fort Jackson is the largest training base that the US Army has.
Under command of the South Carolina Air National Guard.
Infrastructure
Municipal government
The city of Columbia operates under the council-manager form of
government. The mayor and the six members of city council are elected to staggered four year terms. The mayor and two council
members are elected at-large and four members are elected from districts. Elections are held in the Spring of even numbered
years.
The mayor and council make policy and enact laws, rules and regulations in order to provide for future community and economic
growth. Additionally, the council provides the necessary support for the orderly and efficient operation of city services.
Columbia's mayor, Bob Coble, was elected to his fifth term as mayor on April 4,
2006; he has occupied this position since 1990 and is the city's longest serving mayor. The City
Manager is Charles P. Austin, Sr.
At-Large
- Tameika Isaac Devine
- Daniel J. Rickenmann
Districts
- 1: Sam Davis
- 2: E.W. Cromartie II
- 3: Anne M. Sinclair
- 4: Kirkman Finlay III
See related article Past mayors of Columbia, South
Carolina
Education
Colleges and universities
Columbia is home to the main campus of the University of South
Carolina, which was chartered in 1801 as South Carolina College and in 1906 as the University of South Carolina. The
university has 350 degree programs and enrolls more than 27,500 students throughout 15 degree-granting colleges and schools. It
is an urban university, located in downtown Columbia.
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of
Teaching has designated the university a research institution of "very high research activity".[7] The school also has a world-renowned international business program, ranking No.
1 in the nation for its undergraduate international business program and No. 2 for its graduate international business program in
the 2006 U.S. News & World Report college and graduate school guides.
University of South Carolina's University 101 program is also frequently cited by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top
programs of its kind in the nation. The university is also home to the nation’s first National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center for Fuel
Cells.
As part of a new initiative geared towards making University of South Carolina a world-class research and technology school,
the university is building Innovista, a unique new "innovation district" located between the campus' core and the banks of the
Congaree River. Innovista is a standard-setting environment that draws its vibrancy from integrating public and private sector
research and researchers with retail, restaurant, residential, and recreational facilities contained within a contemporary urban
landscape.
Columbia is also home to:
- Allen University - Allen University was founded in 1870 by the
African Methodist Episcopal Church. It has a distinguished history
and is widely recognized for its development of African-Americans who have made significant achievements and contributions in
varied areas of specialization, nationally and internationally.
- Benedict College - Founded in 1870, Benedict is an independent
co-educational college. Benedict is one of the fastest growing of the 39 United Negro
College Fund schools. In addition to an increase in enrollment, Benedict has also seen an increase in average SAT scores,
Honors College enrollee rates, capital giving dollars, and the number of research grants awarded. Recently, Benedict has been
subject to a series of recent controversies, including basing up to 60% of grades solely on effort,[8] which have nearly resulted in its losing its accreditation. However, in recent months the college has improved its financial standing and is seeking to
boost its enrollment.
- Columbia College - Founded in 1854, Columbia
College is a private, four-year, liberal arts college for women with a coeducational Evening College and Graduate School. The
College has been ranked since 1994 by U.S. News & World Report as one
of the top ten regional liberal arts colleges in the South.
- Columbia International University - Columbia International
University is a biblically-based, private Christian institution committed to preparing men and women to know Christ and to make
him known. Founded in 1923, CIU is recognized as having one of the leading ministry training programs in the world [citation needed].
- Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary - This
institution, founded in 1830, is a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America. One of the oldest Lutheran seminaries in North America, Southern is a fully accredited graduate school
of theology preparing women and men for the ordained and lay ministries of the church. The wooded 17 acre campus is situated atop
Seminary Ridge in Columbia, highest point in the Midlands area, near the center of South Carolina's capital city.
- Midlands Technical College - Midlands
Tech is part of the South Carolina Technical College System. It is a two-year, comprehensive, public, community college, offering
a wide variety of programs in career education, four-year college-transfer options, and continuing education. Small classes,
individualized instruction, and student support services are provided. Most of the college's teaching faculty holds masters and
doctoral degrees.
Columbia is also the site of several extension campuses, including those for South
University and University of Phoenix.
Private schools
Public schools
Health Systems
The Sisters of Charity Providence Hospitals is
sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Augustine (CSA) Health System. The non-profit organization is licensed for 304 beds
and is comprised of four entities: Providence Hospital, Providence Heart Institute, Providence Hospital Northeast and Providence
Orthopaedic & NeuroSpine Institute. Providence Hospital, located in downtown Columbia, was founded by the Sisters of Charity
of Saint Augustine in 1938. The facility offers cardiac care through Providence Heart Institute, which is the premier cardiac
center in South Carolina.[citation needed] Providence Hospital Northeast is a 46-bed community hospital established in
1999 that offers a range of medical services in surgery, emergency care, women's and children's services and rehabilitation.
Providence Northeast is home to Providence Orthopaedic & NeuroSpine Institute, which provides medical and surgical treatment
of diseases and injuries of the bones, joints, and spine.
Palmetto Health Baptist Hospital
Palmetto Health is a South Carolina
nonprofit public benefit corporation consisting of Palmetto Health Richland and
Palmetto Health Baptist hospitals in Columbia. Palmetto Health provides health care for nearly 70% of the residents of Richland
County and almost 55% of the health care for both Richland and Lexington counties. Currently, Palmetto Health Baptist is
undergoing a $40 million multi-phase modernization which includes square feet ( m²) of new construction and
square feet ( m²) of renovations. The extensive health system also operates Palmetto Health Children's Hospital and
Palmetto Health Heart Hospital, the state's first freestanding hospital
dedicated solely to heart care, which opened in January 2006. The Palmetto Health South Carolina Cancer Center offers patient
services at the Palmetto Health Baptist and Palmetto Health Richland campuses; both are recognized by the American College of
Surgeons Commission on Cancer as a Network Cancer Program.
The Wm. Jennings Bryan Dorn VA Medical Center is a 216-bed facility, encompassing acute medical, surgical, psychiatric,
and long-term care. The hospital provides primary, secondary, and some tertiary care. An affiliation is held with the University
of South Carolina School of Medicine, located on the hospital grounds. A sharing agreement is in place with Moncrief Army
Community Hospital at Fort Jackson and Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, SC.
Transportation
The city and its surroundings are served by Columbia Metropolitan
Airport (IATA:CAE; ICAO:KCAE). The airport itself is serviced by American Eagle, Continental, Delta, Northwest, United, and US Airways airlines.
Columbia benefits from an excellent interstate highway system, with three
interstates— I-26, I-77, and I-20— forming an outer loop around the city. Other major highways include I-126, U.S. 1, U.S. 21,
U.S. 176, U.S. 321, U.S. 378, and S.C. Highway 277.
The city also has an Amtrak station, with
the Silver Star trains connecting Columbia with New York
City, Washington, DC, Savannah,
Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, and Miami.
Regional bus transportation is provided by the Central
Midlands Regional Transit Authority (CMRTA), which serves the greater Columbia area including Cayce, West Columbia, Forest Acres, Arcadia Lakes,
Springdale, and the St. Andrews area. The authority was
established in October 2002.
Greyhound Lines operates a station on Gervais Street, in the eastern part of
downtown, providing Columbia with intercity bus transportation.
The Columbia metropolitan area has numerous thruways, including Blythewood Road. Located in northern Richland County, it marks the northern border for the city of Columbia.
Columbia is also home to Blue Ribbon and Checker Yellow taxi.
Downtown revitalization
Publix grocery store in the historic Congaree Vista district downtown, housed in the former Confederate Printing Plant
The recently streetscaped Lady Street in the Congaree Vista district
The Columbia metro area has recently accomplished a number of redevelopment projects and has several more planned. The
historic Congaree Vista, a acre ( km²) district running from downtown toward
the Congaree river, features a number of historic buildings that have been rehabilitated. Of note is the adaptive reuse of the
Confederate Printing Plant on Gervais and Huger, used to print Confederate bills during the American Civil War. The city cooperated with Publix grocery stores to
preserve the look, and now Columbia is one of a handful of cities in the Southeast with a full-service market in its downtown. This won Columbia an award from the
International Downtown Association. The Vista district is also where a new convention center
Hilton and a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse
recently debuted. Other notable developments planned include high-end condos and penthouses, various hotels, mixed-use
structures, and the establishment of a retail corridor along Lady Street.
The older buildings lining the Vista's main drag, Gervais, now house art galleries, restaurants, unique shops, and
professional office space. Near the end of Gervais is the South Carolina State
Museum, and the Colonial Center adds to the draw as it is just a few blocks away.
Private student housing and some residential projects are going up nearby; the CanalSide development[9] at the site of the old Central Correctional Institution, is the most high
profile. The development will have 750 residential units and provide access to Columbia's waterfront.
The next few years should see the University of South Carolina's research campus, dubbed "Innovista"[10], stretch from the university across the historic Congaree Vista district on over
acres ( km²). The project demolished a piece of the city skyline: the old university visitors center, which was around
20 stories. In its place the university is building a multi-use second campus which will not only provide space for
university-sponsored research, but will rent some out to private residents, private research firms, and a few shops. The
university touts the project of an example of its ongoing "private-public" partnership with the city.
A downtown lightpost banner heralds Columbia's "New Main Street" as part of an effort to reinfuse life and vitality into Main
Street.
Main Street, Lady Street, and the Five
Points neighborhood are all undergoing beautification projects, mainly replacing curbs and gutters, adding brick-paved
sidewalks and angled parking. Special efforts have been aimed at Main Street, which was once the center of the city's activity
but remains dormant after retailers and shoppers left for suburban malls. The goal is to re-establish Main Street as a vibrant
commercial and residential corridor. The streetscapings, along Main Street and in Five Points in particular, have taken their
toll among local businesses located there, some of which were forced to close during the refurbishing -- —and local favorite
Sherlock Holmes Pub on Main Street—actually went out of business. In spite of this, a majority of business owners on Main Street
believe that the streetscaping represents a positive aspect of the city's evolution. Notable developments planned for Main Street
include a new sanctuary for the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, the relocation
of the Nickelodeon theater, and the refurbished McCrory building, which will be a mixed-use development including condos,
restaurants, and office space.
The Meridian building, a 17-story, $62 million office tower was completed in 2004 and First Citizens bank, which is the second-largest bank
in the state, recently completed a new $40 million, square foot ( m²) headquarters tower on Main Street. The historic
Palmetto Building, at the corner of Main and Washington streets, is presently undergoing renovations, preparing to become a
five-star Sheraton Hotel and directly across from it, the
historic Republic National Bank Building will be turned into meeting and banquet space for the Sheraton. On September 25, 2007, a
new fountain and sculpture, located in Boyd Plaza in front of the Columbia Museum of Art[11] at the corner of Main and Hampton streets downtown, was dedicated. The 25-foot
tall piece, entitled "Apollo's Cascade," was designed by famed sculptor Rodney Carroll and was commissioned using a leadership
gift from the Colliers Keenan Real Estate Firm.
The Historic Columbia Foundation has plans
to create a garden district in a historic area of downtown bounded by Calhoun, Taylor, Marion, and Barnwell streets. Under this
plan, the 18 blocks that encompass downtown’s five historic homes--Hampton-Preston Mansion, Robert Mills House, Mann-Simons
Cottage, Woodrow Wilson Family Home, and Seibels House--would feature landscapes spanning 100 years of gardening, from 1820 to
1920. The project would include interpretive signs, streetscaping, and pedestrian walks intended to appeal tourists and locals
alike.
Additionally, the acre ( km²) former state mental hospital’s central campus, located on Bull Street, is the last
and largest tract of land to come available in urban Columbia in decades. The state of South Carolina has plans to sell the site,
a huge opportunity for Columbia. The city's proposal is a hallmark of new urbanism, the
architectural movement that focuses on higher-density residential development interspersed with green space, offices and retail.
For this future development, 1,200 residential units and over square feet ( m²) of retail and office space are
planned. The new Bull Street neighborhood also would feature a “town center” of stores and shops near its main entrance at Bull
Street and Elmwood Avenue. This project is expected to have a rather significant economic impact on the city of
Columbia--something unlike the city has seen within the past 50 years, according to the Central Carolina Community Foundation's Bull Street Committee. This committee was formed
by request of both city and state government to create a plan for the land use. The Community Foundation held public forums to
get the community's feedback as to what would best serve the community. In February 2006, the Community Foundation turned over
the completed plan to the city and the State Housing Finance and Development Authority. To view the plan visit bullstreetsc.com
Tallest buildings
Gallery
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Matthew J. Perry, Jr. Federal Courthouse
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First Presbyterian Church
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Historic First Baptist Church
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