We have a few openings left for our exclusive behind-the-scenes tours in honor of our 50th Anniversary. Tours begin in January of 2012. Each of these tours will be offered one-time in 2012, and are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Learn more about the 50th Anniversary VIP Tours below.
Please contact Wendi Spratt for details on reserving a place on this exclusive 50th Anniversary tour. Wendi may be reached at 803.252.7742 ext. 12 or by email at wspratt@historiccolumbia.org.
Tour and Cocktails at Equitable Arcade/Columbia Down Under – SOLD OUT
Date: Thursday, January 19, 2012
Time: 7:00 – 10:00 pm
Location: 1332 Main Street
Member rate- $20 / Non-member rate- $25
Located within the 1300 block of Main Street, the Arcade Mall was Columbia’s first indoor shopping center. The Equitable Real Estate Company, a group of Columbia businessmen that included prominent banker and developer Edwin Wales Robertson, constructed this building in 1912 at a reputed cost of $200,000.00. Keep reading…
Tour and cocktails at W. B. Smith Whaley House
- The Dunbar Funeral Home – SOLD OUT
Date: Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Time: 7:00 – 9:30 pm
Location: 1527 Gervais Street
Member rate- $20 / Non-member rate- $25
Arguably Columbia’s most recognizable historic landmark, the former Dunbar Funeral Home was constructed between 1892 and 1893 as a private residence for W.B. Smith Whaley. A unique example of high Queen Anne style architecture, this handsome property captures the fanciful design interests of the late 19th century and speaks to the former grand houses that once lined Gervais Street. Join us for a behind-the-scenes tour showcasing the building’s history and get a rare view of this pre-rehabilitated site. Keep reading…
Tour and Cocktails at Woodrow Wilson Family Home and the Lorick House- SOLD OUT
Date: Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Time: 7:00 – 9:30 pm
Location: 1705 and 1727 Hampton Street
Member rate- $15 / Non-member rate- $20
Join us for a hard hat tour of the Woodrow Wilson Family Home (South Carolina’s only Presidential site) and receive an update on Phase II of the historic property’s rehabilitation. Afterward stroll next door to the recently rehabilitated circa-1840 Lorick House for a tour of this landmark property. Keep reading…
Tour of the Curtiss-Wright Hangar and The Hangars
Date: Sunday, March 11, 2012
Time: 2:00-4:00 pm
Location: Owens Field Municipal Airport Hangar
HCF Member rate- $8 / Family member rate- $25 / Non-member rate- $10
Enjoy a behind-the-scenes tour of the circa-1929 Curtiss-Wright Hangar, the first building erected at Owens Field, an historic site that represents the contributions of air transportation to Columbia and South Carolina. First used to house airplanes for passenger and airmail services, this landmark building was used later as space for the civilian flight training program and finally for general aircraft maintenance. During the 1930s, Owens Field had the distinction of hosting many well-known aviators and personalities, including Amelia Earhart and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The tour will conclude at the Hangars Lofts, a former warehouse adapted into a unique residential experience by owner Joab Dick. Refreshments to be served. Details…
Tour and Refreshments at the Guignard Brick Works
Date: Saturday, May 5, 2012
Time: 2:00-3:30 pm
Location: 100 Granby Crossing at Knox Abbott Drive, Cayce
HCF Member rate- $8 Family member rate- $25 Non-member rate- $10
Join us on a spring afternoon for an exclusive tour of the Guignard Brick Works followed by refreshments. A significant example of an early-20th century industrial complex, the Guignard Brick Works produced bricks for many buildings constructed in Columbia and throughout South Carolina from 1900 through the mid-20th century. The complex includes four brick beehive kilns, a historic brick office and remnants of other industrial features. Keep reading…
Guided Tour of the Powell-Wright House, a 1917 Prairie Style Home – SOLD OUT
Date: Thursday, April 26
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 pm
Location: 1410 Shirley Street
Member rate- $15 / Non-member rate- $20
Join Kandie and Patrick Wright as they lead a guided tour of their recently rehabilitated circa-1917 Melrose Heights home. Columbia’s purest example of Prairie Style architecture, this historic land-mark makes an ideal venue for enjoying history, tasty treats and libations. Pre-restoration images and stories from people that knew the property as young children will illustrate the journey this house has taken for almost one hundred years.
Are you going to have an extra Columbia Down Under tour? I’m interested, if so. Thanks.
Hi Barry, I’ll let Wendi Spratt know you’re interested. We will let you know if/when a second tour is confirmed. Thank you! Laura
A second Columbia Down Under would be Great! We didn’t hear about the first one until it was on the news on the day of the event. Please consider another tour! Thanks.
Hi Pam, We surely will! I’ll send Wendi your email address as well so she can contact you with details. Thanks! Laura
I’d love information on a second tour as well, either in a group setting or privately!
Thanks, Mandy! We’ll be sure to email you information about a second tour as soon as the date is finalized.