2024 Preservation Awards | 203 Wateree Avenue
Thursday, May 16th 2024

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
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.
Check out some of the other 2024 Preservation Award recipients:

2024 Preservation Awards | Janie Campbell
According to City of Columbia Historic Preservation Planner Amy Moore, “If you look around downtown, it would be challenging to find a block with a building(s) that Janie hasn’t touched!” Projects for which Janie has served as preservation consultant represent more than $38 million of rehabilitation investments and include such beloved local landmarks as the W.B. Smith Whaley house, Claussen’s Bakery, Lula Drake, Hotel Trundle and its Flutter Wing, the Wade Campbell House (FemmeX), the Curtiss-Wright Hangar, McCants School, the Equitable Arcade Mall, the Ehrlich Building (Smoked), and the Hair Building (All Good Books).

2024 Preservation Awards | GBX Group LLC
For more than a decade, GBX Group LLC and its partners have played a critical role in revitalizing Columbia’s Main Street Historic District, with the goal of transforming it into a vibrant retail, residential, and commercial corridor. GBX has worked alongside public and private-sector partners to repurpose and transform 13 buildings in 13 years, with the objective of bringing economic and community growth and prosperity to the historic downtown.

2024 Preservation Awards | The Babcock Building
Check out some of the other 2024 Preservation Award recipients:

2024 Preservation Awards | Eurytania & Brown Buildings
For years as other historic buildings along Main Street benefited from sensitive rehabilitation, the ca.-1901 Brown and ca.-1938 Eurytania buildings stood poised for reinvestment. Under the ownership of the Middleton family, the buildings recently underwent an extensive, historically sensitive revitalization. Directed by architect Scott Lambert, Mashburn Construction restored the Eurytania...