The words view, landscape and outlook are among the many meanings of the word Vista. Throughout its diverse history Columbia’s Congaree Vista has embodied all of these definitions. The district continues to do so today, though the interpretations of those meanings have changed over time to reflect the transformation that the area has experienced since the late 1980s.
Almost 800 acres comprise this historically residential, light industrial, mercantile and transportation district. To its west lies the Congaree River, offering the only uneven boundary to the city’s original two-mile-by-two-mile square city limits. To the east Assembly Street separates the Vista from Main Street, the capital city’s original commercial corridor. Northern and southern boundaries of the district are often defined differently, depending on the source. Many place the former as Taylor Street and the latter as Blossom Street.
Within decades of Columbia’s creation in 1786 as South Carolina’s second capital city, the area that today is called the Congaree Vista carried no such name. It simply was an area with a view of the river where businesses associated with transportation, storage and light manufacturing came to be established. Here and there residences of working class families were erected transforming the landscape into one of wood frame and brick buildings. During the Civil War notable structures such as the Evans and Cogswell Printing Plant (often referred to as the Confederate Printing Plant) and railroad depots became prime targets for destruction. These, and other landmark buildings standing farther north within Arsenal Hill and to the east, such as the new State House, then under construction, would be rebuilt during the years that followed, remaining today as touchstones to the district’s earliest years.
Development within the latter half of the 19th century and into the early 20th century picked up where earlier energies had left off – the outlook for the district remained that of a light-industrial area where greater numbers of railroad tracks brought goods and people to and from the city. A burgeoning textile mill presence within the city made its mark on the district with the completion of the Columbia Mills Building, destined to be the world’s first fully electrically power facility of its kind. Greater numbers of masonry structures replaced earlier wood buildings, revealing both an attempt at heightened fire safety as well as a greater prosperity from earlier years. By World War II, these decades-old buildings were home to numerous businesses, such as that of Gervais Street’s Seaboard Café, some of whose patrons and employees are shown here.
Gateway to the Vista, Intersection of Gervais & Assembly Streets. The eastern gateway into today’s Vista district has experienced its share of change since Columbia’s founding. This aerial image from the early 1940s reveals many landmarks now gone – three gas stations, a portion of the farmers market, and the popular Market Restaurant. These once busy parcels today feature surface parking lots.
Well into the early 1980s, the Vista’s light industrial and mercantile character remained largely unchanged. However, twenty years earlier much of its residential life had been erased through Fight Blight programs instigated by national trends in urban renewal. Totally lost was the almost exclusively African-American neighborhood known as Ward One, whose modest houses, stores, schools and churches fell for the construction of such buildings as the Carolina Coliseum in 1968. The new view by city planners was this district that lay within the shadow of the State House was ripe for redevelopment – a vision that would change its landscape within the next generation.
Fast forward three decades from when the intersection of Gervais and Huger streets graced the pages of National Geographic for its dubious distinction as one of the worst urban environments in the nation. Today, what modern-day visionaries deemed the Congaree Vista boasts a mixture of historically significant buildings with architecturally sympathetic re-development and infill projects that have resulted in loft, apartment, and townhouse residences, restaurants and bars, specialty shops and offices. Ensuring that culturally, historically and architecturally significant aspects of the district are protected, the City of Columbia established the Congaree Vista as an architectural conservation district. Meanwhile, the area carries another, albeit more obscure moniker –the West Gervais Street Historic District – following its listing in the National Register of Historic Places.
The outlook for the Congaree Vista today is positive and one filled with expectation – expectations of unique dining, entertainment, shopping and living experience within its boundaries; expectations of further new structures and investment blending with old; and expectations of further development to continuing through the construction of new hotels and residences designed to entice new residents and visitors into the capital city. Concurrent with this contemporary interest in what is one of Columbia’s most dynamic urban landscapes is interest in preserving the memories of those persons who and the events that made the district what it was for generations, most recently manifesting itself in historical wayside signage and a walking tour brochure, produced by Historic Columbia Foundation and sponsored by the Congaree Vista Guild and key businesses.
Big Apple, 1000 Hampton Street, Original site: 1300 Block of Park Street. Built as the House of Peace synagogue in 1915, this structure became a popular African-American nightclub operated by “Fat” Sam and “Big” Elliot Wright from 1936 until 1938. Here Columbia’s black youth created the internationally famous “Big Apple” dance, named after the local hotspot in which it was born. Today, the property is available for special rental events through Historic Columbia Foundation.
Former Industries, 800 Block of Lady Street. The Sanborn Fire Insurance Company’s map of 1888 clearly illustrates the mixture of commercial and residential uses that historically characterized many sections of the Vista district. Within the northern half of this block alone stood a cotton gin, a saw mill, a paint and carpentry supply building, and a sprawling gasworks, in addition to three residences. Image courtesy South Caroliniana Library, University of South Carolina, Columbia
Hilton Columbia Center, 924 Senate Street. Built in 2006 the Hilton is as relatively recent addition to the Vista’s skyline that offers luxurious accommodations for visitors to the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center and other downtown destinations.
Former Confederate Printing Plant/South Carolina State Dispensary Warehouse, 501 Gervais Street. A Charleston-based printer of bonds and currency for the Confederacy, Evans and Cogswell relocated to Columbia in April 1864 and operated within this building until February 1865, when Union troops burned the then-one story structure. Rebuilt after the war and later enlarged, the property became a warehouse for carriage, seed, and cotton companies. Destroyed by fire again, in 1898, it was rebuilt for the purpose of warehousing liquor for the South Carolina State Dispensary system. In 2004, the vacant building was transformed into a thriving grocery following an extensive rehabilitation project that resulted in the construction of a steel frame on which to stabilize the historic masonry walls. Seven fashionable townhouses known as Estates on Gervais debuted in 2010.
Dupre Building, 807 Gervais Street. Early visionaries encouraged preservation efforts in the hopes that renewed vitality within historic properties would promote district-wide improvements, including the construction of new buildings with designs inspired by the district’s historic architectural character. Following a sensitive rehabilitation the Dupre Building at 807 Gervais Street today better reflects its early 20th-century appearance while meeting contemporary commercial and residential needs. Image courtesy Rosie Craig
For generations the area today called the Congaree Vista has been a draw for residents of and visitors to Columbia alike. Here, Savannah native Lorraine Hendry (at left), a student at the University of South Carolina, shares a visit to the Columbia Canal around 1921 with an unidentified friend. Image courtesy Leland H. Williams
Ways to Get Involved:
1. Become a member of Historic Columbia Foundation. For as little as $35 (individual), your membership cost helps Historic Columbia Foundation in our local preservation and education efforts. Learn more…
2. Visit our historic house museums and gardens, including the Mann-Simons Site, Hampton-Preston Mansion, Seibels Garden, Robert Mills House & Garden, Woodrow Wilson Family Home (open the first Tuesday of the month for hard hat tours). Learn more…
3. Donate to Historic Columbia Foundation in honor of our 50th Anniversary. In an effort to save the Robert Mills House from demolition 265 visionary individuals, families and businesses each contributed $1,000 (equivalent to a $7,341 gift in 2011!) to Historic Columbia Foundation between 1961 and 1964. As we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Historic Columbia Foundation, our Board of Trustees invites you to continue the legacy of the 265 founding leaders by being among the first 265 donors to make a contribution to our 2011 – 2012 Anniversary Campaign. Your gift may serve as a memorial or honorarium and may be directed to benefit our special projects, endowment or general operation fund as noticed in 50th Anniversary donation form here.
4. Become a fan of Historic Columbia Foundation and Preservation Matters on Facebook. (Facebook.com/HistoricColumbia and Facebook.com/PreservationMatters) and/or follow us on Twitter (@histcolumbia). Your likes, comments and retweets help us spread the word about our organization.
5. Volunteer for Historic Columbia Foundation. By volunteering for Historic Columbia Foundation, you meet new people, visit historic sites, and discover the culture and lifestyles of South Carolina’s capital city and Richland County. Spend as little as six hours per month, or volunteer each week with us fulfilling our mission to nurture, support, and protect the historical and cultural heritage of Columbia and its environs through programs of advocacy, education, and preservation. Learn more about becoming a volunteer (and the many volunteer benefits) here.
6. Spread the word about our 50th Anniversary by posting a link to this blog post on Facebook, Twitter, your blog, and/or your website.
7. Encourage your employer to support Historic Columbia Foundation. Much like the 1,000 visionary donors in 1961, sustaining the efforts of Historic Columbia Foundation for the next 50 years will require donations not only from individuals and families, but also from local businesses. You can learn more about our business partners here. Contact Wendi Spratt in our development office at 803.252.7742 ext. 12 or wspratt@historiccolumbia.org.
