2025 Preservation Awards | John C. Heslep House
Friday, May 16th 2025
WINNER | Preservation, Rehabilitation, or Restoration (residential/single family)
John C. Heslep House | 303 Saluda Avenue
Don Tomlin — Property Owner
J. Timothy Hance, Architect, P. A. — Architect
Will Kaliher — Contractor
Rachel L. Walling — Preservation Consultant
Recently significantly rehabilitated, 303 Saluda Avenue arguably ranks among Columbia’s most iconic early twentieth century residences. Today home to the Tomlin family, the ca.-1917 house grew into its current form and style between 1927 and 1928 under the ownership of John C. Heslep, a prominent local contractor. Working with plans by Lafaye and Lafaye, architects, Heslep significantly transformed his new home into a Spanish Colonial Revival style villa—a style popular in the southern United States between 1915 and 1935. His renovation included gutting the existing two-story structure and rebuilding it with the help of George Marquardt, a talented Columbia stoneworker whose exceptional craftsmanship is evident in the entrance, the two carved mantelpieces, and the dining room arcade. At its subsequent sale in April 1928, Mrs. Morris C. Lumpkin reportedly paid between $65,000 and $75,000 for the property, making it the largest real estate transaction for a singlefamily home in Columbia at the time.
Following the Tomlins’ purchase of the Wales Garden neighborhood home from Weston Adams in May 2023, they initiated their own extensive renovation. Included in their scope were the removal and relaying of the original clay tile roof; repairing of damaged wood; and installing new copper-lined concealed gutters and flashing; updating the HVAC systems and plumbing; and modernizing bathrooms and the kitchen. New construction led to the creation of an open-air pool house/cabana and extensive landscaping that complimented the aesthetic of the historic residence. Today, the John C. Heslep House enters a new phase of as a significant architectural and historical landmark in a manner befitting its century-old legacy.
Images courtesy of Tim Hance, AIA
Before & After | Exterior
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.
Check out some of the other 2025 Preservation Award recipients:
2025 Preservation Awards | Fred Delk
This year’s preservation leadership award winner played a critical role in shaping our capital city for a generation, proving that informed, successful, and even enviable urban growth can and should include historic properties. Without Fred Delk’s dedication to integrating landmark buildings into the fabric of our daily lives, irreplaceable buildings would have met the wrecking ball, leaving us and future residents of and visitors to Columbia culturally poorer.
2025 Preservation Awards | Barton House
That rehabilitation offers old buildings new life is a story that runs deep for the Barton House. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, this ca.-1850 former residence-turned-office building originally stood a block north, on the grounds of the former State Hospital, whose campus is now being repurposed as the BullStreet District.
2025 Preservation Awards | 1225 & 1229 Lincoln Street
After a generation-long spate of revitalization, Columbia’s Congaree Vista district rarely affords opportunities for revitalizing historic buildings. So, when the former Palmetto Candy & Tobacco store—a architecturally contributing property within the heart of the historic district—came up for sale, rehabilitating the property in a sensitive fashion proved a must for new owner Jerry and Ben’s, LLC.
2025 Preservation Awards | Taylor House
When completed in 1908, 1501 Senate Street stood out among neighboring residences for its architectural sophistication. Built for Thomas and Susan Ames Taylor, Jr., following a design by the Boston architectural firm Andrews, Jacques, and Rantoul, the neoclassical mansion ultimately evolved to function in ways for which it was never intended.