2023 Preservation Award | 2901 Rosewood Drive
Friday, May 12th 2023
WINNER | Revitalization
(any ownership or use)
2901 Rosewood Drive
Cason Development Group — Property Owner
Boyer Commercial Construction — Contractor
Garvin Design Group — Architect & Preservation Consultant
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Generations of Columbians formerly knew 2901 Rosewood Drive as home to Rosewood Baptist Church. Today, as 5th & Sloan, 2901 Rosewood Drive stands as a new mixed-use, long- and short-term rental apartments, complemented by restaurant and retail tenant spaces. The adaptation of an ecclesiastical building for residential use—locally unprecedented—transformed the revered church buildings and an empty surface parking lot across Sloan Street into a viable contemporary use that maximized the whole site’s potential. Now, in its redeveloped state, the site both reactivates the long-vacant Rosewood Baptist Church buildings and energizes a previously underutilized segment of a high-traffic Columbia thoroughfare. Moreover, the project supplies much-needed rental housing units to the Shandon and Rosewood neighborhoods, while pioneering investment in two historic neighborhood districts.
Creative programming, selective demolition, and compatible new construction subtly converted the former church building into 49 apartment units and plush common areas. In the old sanctuary, light fixtures below the balcony were preserved and re-purposed elsewhere in the building; wood wainscoting and windowsills were protected and left in place. The sanctuary’s existing vaulted ceiling, pendant lights, and stately chandeliers were retained, as were its stained- front façade glass window and steeple, recalling the building’s original use. Demolition of the fellowship hall and Sunday School building—a later addition to the site—allowed for the creation of a courtyard. Most original window openings were retained, restoring the rhythm on all faces of the original building.
A new three-story addition replaced the building that formerly housed the fellowship hall and Sunday School classrooms. Internal passageways connect the addition to the east wing of the original church building. Building materials recall the features prominent in the surrounding residential neighborhood. Constructed primarily of brick veneer in keeping with the original church building, the three-story addition also makes use of the board and batten construction found in neighborhood homes. Across Sloan Street, the church’s former gym and kitchen building has been transformed into a single-story retail, mixed-use facility. Site work added sidewalks, ramps, and curbs to enhance the pedestrian experience throughout the site. A new two-story mixed-use building at the southwest corner of Sloan Street and Rosewood Drive incorporates elements of both the Rosewood Church building across Sloan Street and the renovated one-story building next door. The rhythm and window forms of the residential second level point to the church building, while the storefront systems and canopies in the commercial first level reference the transformed retail building just to the north.
The 5th & Sloan development transformed two mostly vacant city blocks into a buzzing mixed-use hub that showcases the promise of Columbia’s ongoing downtown redevelopment. The project’s quick time to lease up the building and its near-constant state of activity are testaments to its timely completion and contribution to the neighborhood.
Preservation Award Plaque
While May is Preservation Month, Historic Columbia would like to encourage the community to recognize the significance of these award-winning projects all year. To that end, we have established a Preservation Plaque program. These plaques are designed for and available to past Preservation Award recipients.