2020 Preservation  Award Winner: Claussen's Apartments

Claussen's Bakery Building. Image Courtesy of Historic Columbia Collection

Each year, Historic Columbia presents Preservation Awards to celebrate the accomplishments of local property owners; professionals in the fields of architecture, construction and design; and leaders who champion preservation as an opportunity to support the Midlands’ economy and culture. These awards are given in the areas of Preservation Leadership, Preservation/Restoration, Adaptive Use and New Construction in a Historic Context.

Claussen’s Bakery and Boutique Studio Apartments 
Address: 2001-2003 Greene Street 
Award: Adaptive Use 

Owners: Julie and David Tuttle; Ryan Hyler

Architect: 1 x 1 Design

Contractor: Cohn Construction 

Claussen's Bakery in 1940. Image Courtesy of Russell Maxey Photograph Collection, Walker Local and Family History Center at Richland Library

According to The State newspaper, Columbia’s newest industry—Claussen’s Bakery—when opened in October of 1928 in the nascent district of Five Points district, boasted “one of the largest and most scientifically equipped bakeries in the entire South.” Beautiful for its modern machinery inside, the facility found equal favor outside, where its façade of “red brick, relieved by handsome trimmings of Indiana limestone,” set an aesthetic standard for new structures in the district. Located at 2003 Greene Street, Claussen’s was at the time one of Five Points’ most prominent businesses and substantial structures. The building’s location adjacent to railroad tracks that marked the western limits was ideal for disseminating its products throughout the South. With “few other cities in the Southeast . . . boast[ing] a bakery its equal,” Columbia was rightly proud of its latest improvement.  

In March 1963, after 35 years of producing 2,200 loaves of bread daily, Claussen’s closed its doors. The distinctive landmark would go on to survive for years as a warehouse that accommodated several T-shirt companies. Within a generation of its ovens growing cold, the 26,000-square-foot building became a boutique hotel known as Claussen’s Inn, which operated from 1986 until 2017. 

A boutique studio apartment at Claussen's. Image courtesy of Kylie Anne Photography

The building’s architectural significance and layout that featured 29 boutique rooms caught the eye of current owners Julie and David Tuttle and Ryan Hyler of Styx Claussen’s LLC, which harnessed the financial benefits of federal historic tax credits. Their vision, solidified by the architectural firm of 1x1 Designs and implemented by Cohn Construction with oversight from preservation consultation by the firm of Rogers-Lewis, sought to amplify the structure’s historic architectural details of enameled interior brick, hardwood and concrete floors, metal-framed hopper windows and steel trusses that defined its lofts and patio rooms. Employing design and finishes that met Department of the Interior standards for the rehabilitation of historic buildings, Claussen’s today successfully blends old and new in a manner that pays tribute to the site’s industrial past while providing distinctively modern residential amenities in the capital city’s funky early-20th century commercial village.

Image courtesy of Kylie Ann Photography

The 2020 Preservation Awards are made possible through our generous sponsors Boyer Commercial Construction, Brennan Works LLC, Columbia Development Corporation, Garvin Design Group, GBX Group LLC, Hood Construction Company, Inc., Lambert Architecture & Construction Services, Inc., PMC Property Group, Rogers-Lewis, 1x1 Design, Architrave, Inc., Cason Development Group, Honey River Catering, and Seed Architecture.