1634 Main Street (Cyberwoven)
Owner: Belser Five
Architect: MCA Architecture (Greenville)
Contractor: Boyer Commercial Construction
Built in the 1870s, the building that once housed JC Penny’s and Maxwell Furniture Building is another jewel in Main Street’s crown. Restorations began in late 2016 and involved reclaiming bricked window openings, removing 1980s EIFS stucco additions and waterproofing exposed, original brickwork. The interior’s wood floors, tin ceiling, terrazzo, and plaster walls were repaired. Once obscured by stucco, the site has been restored to reflect the rich mercantile history of the Main Street commercial corridor ca. 1937-1958.
Kensington Mansion (4001 McCords Ferry Road)
Owner: International Paper
Architect: Glenn Keyes Architects
Contractor: Huss Construction with Master of Plaster & Century Slate Roofing
International Paper originally purchased the Kensington property in the early 1980s when the home was being used to store farm equipment, fertilizer, and animal feed. For the next thirty years, the site saw various levels of public accessibility. After an ice storm severely damaged the mansion’s roof in 2014, preservationists successfully lobbied for a comprehensive restoration and rehabilitation. The scope of work was vast and included replacing the damaged roof, repairing and replacing ornamental plaster, replacing all light fixtures with period-appropriate replicas, recoating the front steps to their original brownstone color, servicing the HVAC system, and more.
Olympia Mill Museum (1170 Olympia Ave)
Owner: Olympia Granby Historical Foundation
Contractor: Mark Ullman Construction, LLC
When purchased in 2014 by the Olympia Granby Historical Foundation, the home at 1170 Olympia Ave (ca. 1901) had vinyl siding, vinyl windows, and the interior had been gutted down to the studs. Virtually none of the original plaster or trim survived. In the spirit of the home’s original use as Olympia Mill School, the OGHF restored the space for use as the Olympia Mill Village Museum. Its renovation was a multi-year effort which saw the installation of period-appropriate wooden windows, new floors, beaded panel ceilings, and new wiring.
Wesley United Methodist Church (1725 Gervais St)
Owner: Wesley United Methodist Church
Architect: The Boudreaux Group
Contractor: Weathers Contracting Company, Inc.
The church at 1725 Gervais Street is home to the oldest African American Methodist congregation in Columbia. Following a collapsed ceiling in 2015, WUMC began an extensive fundraising campaign to stabilize their ca. 1910 sanctuary building. Exterior work addressed masonry concerns, restoration of the stained-glass windows, and the installation of a new roof. Brick-by-brick, old mortar was removed and replaced with new specially-formulated mortar in the basement to mitigate water intrusion. The sanctuary carpeting was removed, and the wooden floors were restored.
