1000 Hampton Street
Big Apple
In 1915, the House of Peace Synagogue constructed this house of worship at 1318 Park Street after the previous structure was destroyed by fire earlier that year. Its worshippers were primarily immigrants from Eastern Europe who lived within walking distance.
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Big Apple, 2018. Historic Columbia collection
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House of Peace Synagogue, early 1930s. Image courtesy of Special Collections, College of Charleston
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The sale of House of Peace stipulated that the building never be used as a house of worship again. Reprint from The State, October 13, 1935
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Big Apple Night Club, circa 1936. Historic Columbia collection
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Dancers at the Big Apple, circa 1937. Historic Columbia collection
In 1936, the synagogue sold it to H.W. DesPortes, who rented it out as a “colored dance hall and beer garden, practically furnished.” Under the proprietorship of “Fat” Sam Boyd and “Big” Elliot Wright, Columbia’s black youth created the “Big Apple” dance. White University of South Carolina students who observed the dance as spectators from the second-story balcony garnered fame after co-opting the style and touring it at Roxy Theaters across the country, and by 1938 it was a national craze. The club opened several times in the late 1930s and 1940s under different management, although it never regained its initial popularity. The building was moved to its present location in 1984.