2024 Preservation Awards | 203 Wateree Avenue
Thursday, May 16th 2024
WINNER | Preservation, Rehabilitation, or Restoration (residential/single family)
203 Wateree Avenue
Jeff & Emily Walker — Property Owners
Good preservation projects often belie the truly outstanding care and attention an owner may put into a project. This certainly holds true for this Wales Garden property, where Bailey Bill-quality investment included restoration of all historic windows, plaster repair, refinishing of original floors, while maintaining original interior doors. While performing masonry repair, the homeowners Jeff and Emily Walker, recent transplants from Charlotte, realized the original mortar color had been black—a finding they freely (and enthusiastically) shared with City of Columbia Preservation Planner Rachel Walling. Armed with this fascinating discovery, the Walkers expanded their original scope of work to expose the entirety of the house’s mortar back to a more historic appearance.
Even for aspects of the house whose work did not fall under Bailey Bill criteria, the couple embraced a preservation philosophy. This included exposing a previously partially covered window in a bathroom and installing crown molding and trim detailing matching historic profiles where it was previously removed; replacing non-original front doors with a more compatible style; and replacing the porch enclosure panels on the side porch with a more architecturally compatible window scheme while maintaining the original porch columns.
The Walkers showed great attention to detail and outstanding dedication to the preservation of their historic home from the start of the process and became more involved in the history of this home and preserving original features as the renovation process advanced. In doing so, they championed why preservation matters and why certain features should be preserved. In the process, Jeff performed his own research, compiling newspaper clippings and information on the architect—a process that took a lot of work and proved his dedication to embracing the character-defining elements of their 1917 Arthur W. Hamby-designed Colonial Revival home!
Before & After
Before image courtesy Jeff Walker. After image courtesy Rachel Walling.
Explore the
Economic Impact Study
This study's findings reinforce our long-held position on the importance of historic preservation for the city's economy and support our work advocating for policies that encourage preservation and the reuse of historic buildings. Columbia’s architectural heritage is not simply an exercise in nostalgia; it is an informed, strategic investment in the future.
