Bull Street Common

[vicupstate]

Major fire at the historic Babcock building. The spire is destroyed.  There had been a much smaller  fire in this same building in 2018.  Seems this building should have been better protected from intruders. 

Fire at Babcock building  

 

[victory]

On 9/12/2020 at 9:05 PM, vicupstate said:

Major fire at the historic Babcock building. The spire is destroyed.  There had been a much smaller  fire in this same building in 2018.  Seems this building should have been better protected from intruders. 

Fire at Babcock building  

 

I agree. Just simple neglect on the part of its caretakers. A piece of architectural history, and the proposed centerpiece of the Bull Street development has taken a major hit. Let's see if the proposed hotel/condos or whatever it was scheduled to be is now off the board. It will not be an inexpensive job. 

[Spartan]

If they don't try to restore it, I hope they take advantage of that site and build something that will look cool as the terminal vista for Elmwood. 

[vicupstate]

Has REI construction started ?  Nearing completion?

[victory]

1 hour ago, vicupstate said:

Has REI construction started ?  Nearing completion?

I believe REI is already open. I need to ride over there this weekend to check it out.

[victory]

Well, reports say the developers are committed to seeing this thing through, so the apartments are still a go.

[krazeeboi]

On 9/14/2020 at 11:56 AM, vicupstate said:

Has REI construction started ?  Nearing completion?

Open for business as of a month ago: https://www.coladaily.com/business/rei-outdoor-gear-store-opens-in-bullstreet-district/article_d6d8e720-deaa-11ea-827c-83d40f45e0ea.html

[krazeeboi]

On 9/15/2020 at 7:07 AM, victory said:

Well, reports say the developers are committed to seeing this thing through, so the apartments are still a go.

That's encouraging. It's a good thing the fire was contained to only the central portion of the building but it's sad that the cupola was destroyed. It would be awesome if they could build a new one. I recall when the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in downtown Charleston got a new steeple in 2010 after going a century without one; there are definitely architects out there that are capable of designing these sorts of features for historic buildings. I know that doing so would add costs for the developer but they should be entitled to more tax breaks/incentives if they go that route IMO.

[victory]

8 minutes ago, krazeeboi said:

That's encouraging. It's a good thing the fire was contained to only the central portion of the building but it's sad that the cupola was destroyed. It would be awesome if they could build a new one. I recall when the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in downtown Charleston got a new steeple in 2010 after going a century without one; there are definitely architects out there that are capable of designing these sorts of features for historic buildings. I know that doing so would add costs for the developer but they should be entitled to more tax breaks/incentives if they go that route IMO.

Totally agree.

[victory]

A pretty cool office building with ground level retail is coming to Bull St.  https://www.wltx.com/article/news/local/bullstreet-district-welcomes-unique-mass-timber-building/101-de321fbc-12c7-4c74-a85a-0210132ec9de

[GvilleSC]

17 minutes ago, victory said:

A pretty cool office building with ground level retail is coming to Bull St.  https://www.wltx.com/article/news/local/bullstreet-district-welcomes-unique-mass-timber-building/101-de321fbc-12c7-4c74-a85a-0210132ec9de

This building looks great, and it's nice to see heavy timber slowly being embraced in South Carolina!

[krazeeboi]

Renovations have begun at the historic Babcock Building in the BullStreet District after developer and building owner Clachan Properties secured federal funding to help finance the landmark’s $55 million transformation into luxury apartments.

Richmond, Va.-based Clachan Properties closed on a long-term, low-interest U.S. Housing and Urban Development loan last week, according to a BullStreet news release, as well as on a tax credit equity with partners PNC Bank Tax Credit Solutions and Foss & Co. The HUD loan, facilitated by Berkadia Commercial Mortgage LLC, will finance $39 million of the project. The balance will be funded by tax credits and developer equity.

The iconic cupola of the Babcock Building,  which once housed S.C. State Hospital patients, was destroyed in a September fire. It will be replicated as part of plans to transform the 254,000-square-foot structure, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, into 208 luxury apartments ranging from one to three bedrooms.

The residential complex will include a pool, dog park, grilling garden and exercise facilities. The first of five phases is expected to be ready for occupancy in early 2022, according to the release, with the entire project slated for completion in three years.

[Spartan]

I'm really excited that they are going to rebuild/restore the Babcock building.

[victory]

https://www.wistv.com/2021/03/25/bullstreet-district-breaks-ground-westlawn-office-building/ This will be some pretty cool, environmentally sensitive construction. Would like to see more of this.

[krazeeboi]

Chandler Cox, BullStreet project manager for master developer Hughes Development Corp., updated a Columbia Chamber of Commerce online audience on several projects on Tuesday. “There are seven construction crews onsite right now,” Cox said. “There’s definitely a lot of activity going on out there.”

• Iron Hill Brewing is in “full design” mode after a pandemic-related break. 
• Demolition on university-owned buildings on the planned campus of the new medical school has been completed. In March, the university’s board of trustees voted to allocate $4.2 million toward the proposed 16-acre site, which would include a 130,000-square-foot medical building and a separate 162,000-square-foot research building and lab. The estimated $300 million project is also awaiting funding from the S.C. Legislature.
• Other ongoing infrastructure changes, including the connection of Freed Street to Bull Street, Boyce Street to Colonial Drive, and the installation of a new traffic signal as new tenants such as REI Co-op and Starbucks have opened their doors have made BullStreet more accessible to visitors and the surrounding community.
• Discussions are ongoing with other retail tenants, including restaurants that could fill the space next to Segra Park vacated in February 2020 by BullStreet’s first restaurant, Bone-In Barbeque, but nothing is ready to be announced yet.
• A “food and beverage concept” is planned for the former chapel on the BullStreet campus.
• TownPark at BullStreet, a phased townhome development, has entered its third phase. 
• Initial construction is also underway on two parking garages, one a 220-car structure and the other a 660-car structure, which should be open next year.

[krazeeboi]

 

A new apartment complex will add more than 500 residents to the BullStreet District as soon as 2023.  

Work has begun on Bennet at BullStreet, a 280,000-square-foot community with 269 luxury apartments ranging from studio to three-bedroom units, according to a news release. The apartments, anticipated to open in 2023, will include a pet spa, a rooftop deck, an upscale clubhouse and a state-of-the-art fitness center, along with dedicated co-working spaces.  

Charlotte-based Proffitt Dixon Partners is the developer of the new complex, which will include a 45,000-square-foot, ground-floor retail space. Bennet at BullStreet will be located between Boyce Street, home to Segra Park, and Pickens Street in the 181-acre mixed-use BullStreet development, overseen by master developer Hughes Development Corp. of Greenville.  

[victory]

On 10/7/2021 at 3:27 PM, krazeeboi said:

 

A new apartment complex will add more than 500 residents to the BullStreet District as soon as 2023.  

Work has begun on Bennet at BullStreet, a 280,000-square-foot community with 269 luxury apartments ranging from studio to three-bedroom units, according to a news release. The apartments, anticipated to open in 2023, will include a pet spa, a rooftop deck, an upscale clubhouse and a state-of-the-art fitness center, along with dedicated co-working spaces.  

Charlotte-based Proffitt Dixon Partners is the developer of the new complex, which will include a 45,000-square-foot, ground-floor retail space. Bennet at BullStreet will be located between Boyce Street, home to Segra Park, and Pickens Street in the 181-acre mixed-use BullStreet development, overseen by master developer Hughes Development Corp. of Greenville.  

Slowly but surely, the Bull St development is gaining some density. Doesn't look half bad. What are your impressions? 

[krazeeboi]

On 10/8/2021 at 6:43 PM, victory said:

Slowly but surely, the Bull St development is gaining some density. Doesn't look half bad. What are your impressions? 

I think it's making good progress overall. The medical school in particular will truly be an asset and a needed institutional anchor for the campus.

[victory]

https://www.wltx.com/article/life/food/sanctuary-food-hall-bull-street-development-confirmation-columbia-southcarolina/101-35672c02-9a62-45fb-a05a-d0ba1f99721b

Food Hall coming to Bull St.

[krazeeboi]

The food hall will involve an adaptive reuse of the chapel:

[victory]

This will be very interesting. I was in Greenville last weekend, and visited a food hall in Unity Park, which I felt was well done. I wish this company out of Atlanta doing ours had more information on who the vendors will be. They will get tons of round the clock foot traffic from the new medical school and condo/apt residents, on site.

[victory]

On 10/20/2021 at 3:15 PM, krazeeboi said:

The food hall will involve an adaptive reuse of the chapel:

This is the Marietta Food Hall. The people running it are the ones opening the food hall at Bull St Commons. This gives a little look of what we might hope to expect from the Sanctuary.

[krazeeboi]

More residential and retail envisioned for BullStreet: https://www.postandcourier.com/columbia/business/whats-coming-next-for-columbias-bullstreet-district-more-residences-more-retail/article_4b84d172-9680-11ec-b911-338d263a4bf7.html#tncms-source=article-nav-next

[victory]

https://www.wltx.com/article/news/community/housing-parking-and-walkable-art-gallery-proposed-for-bull-street-district-columbia-southcarolina/101-36882300-4150-498d-86de-e7b4fdab5539  More housing and a public art gallery. I drove by the site last week, and it is really filling out.  Still haven't taken in a Fireflies' game yet, but will soon. 

[victory]

I visited REI yesterday, and had lunch at Publico. I intend to catch a Fireflies game in the next two weeks. Folks, I have to say I was a little blown away by the amount of construction going on, and the quality of it. This is going to be a destination. It is starting to feel like its own separate downtown area. It took years to gain traction, but from what I saw yesterday, it is full speed ahead, with multiple buildings rising at once.