City approves 15-story student tower on Assembly Street

The city of Columbia has given final approval to a 15-story, student-oriented residential high rise on Assembly Street next to the Richland Library. Construction of the tower should begin next spring.

The city Design/Development Review Commission on Thursday approved the $70 million project called The Edge. The tower is being built by Chicago-based CRG Real Estate Solutions.

CRG spokeswoman Tracey Mendrek said construction is scheduled to begin in March with completion set for fall 2018.

“It’s not (pure) student housing, but we want to be ready for that fall” when the University of South Carolina begins classes, she said.

The building features floor-to-ceiling glass corners on all 15 stories, echoing the glass, concrete and steel design of Richland Library. The city design board had originally balked at the design as too monolithic, and fretted over the one-story elevation on the Washington Street side.

However, tweaks made after two delays and a subcommittee workshop swayed the board into a unanimous, 7-0 vote.

“It was just minor changes in materials and setbacks ... and better articulation of the first floor streetscape along Washington Street,” said Lucinda Statler, a city urban design planner assigned to the design commission.

Also, Historic Columbia had initially opposed the project because it was seeking assurances that a two-story, 75-year-old building would be preserved. The building has housed several businesses owned by African-Americans.

Plans call for the brick building at 1401 Assembly St. to be moved a block away to the corner of Park and Washington streets. The store front has served many purposes since it was constructed in 1914, most recently as a beauty salon.

The building originally opened as a pharmacy co-owned by Dr. Eugene K. DeLoach, the local manager of the Keeley Insititute, a controversial organization at the time that marketed a “cure” for alcoholism, according to Historic Columbia.

As the area around Assembly and Washington streets developed into Columbia’s main black business district, the upper floors became the office of Nathaniel J. Frederick, who served as principal of the Howard School and editor of the African-American newspaper the Southern Indicator. He also helped organize the local chapter of the NAACP.

Historic Columbia relented about the move after letters of commitment for moving and saving the building were signed by the library, the developers and Mayor Steve Benjamin.

“We are committed to being part of the solution for preserving the building,” Mendrek said.

This story was originally published August 12, 2016 at 4:47 PM with the headline "City approves 15-story student tower on Assembly Street."