EXCLUSIVE: New owners set for Main Street’s Arcade Mall

The historic Arcade Mall – Columbia’s  first shopping center, built in 1912 – is getting a new owner and a facelift.

Columbia commercial real estate broker Ron Swinson plans to purchase the Main Street fixture for a undisclosed price on June 19, he said Tuesday.

“I love the Arcade,” said Swinson, a veteran broker of Main Street properties. “That block has always had good energy and the energy has increased. It’s a fantastic building, and with that new energy on Main Street it’s a good investment.

“We are going to try to take it back as much as possible to its original form,” Swinson said.

Improvements will include eliminating the drop ceilings on the first floor, updating bathrooms and replacing the sliding glass front entrances to businesses with double doors more closely resembling the historic originals.

The mall for decades has been owned by the family of former Columbia banker John Robison , now of Charlotte. Managing owner Ned Barnes of Columbia, a member of the Robison family, said Main Street’s revival and Swinson’s interest led to the sale.

“The time was right,” Barnes said. “There was trepidation, but a rising tide lifts all boats and Ron is the right guy. He’s got the time, vision, knows-how and where with all to take it to the next level.”

Located within the 1300 block of Main Street, the Arcade Mall was Columbia’s first indoor shopping center, according to a history of the building from Historic Columbia.

The Equitable Real Estate Co., a group of Columbia businessmen, constructed the building in 1912 at a reputed cost of $200,000. The “L”-shaped mall’s location adjacent to the Barringer Building, the Capital City’s first skyscraper, and its twin entrances along Main and Washington streets, ensured its tenants had lots of foot traffic.

The Arcade was built in the Italian Renaissance Revival style. It was originally an open arcade patterned after those in Italy, but a full roof was added later.

When large suburban shopping malls were built beginning in the 1970s, Main Street, and in turn the Arcade, became less of a destination for shoppers. Today the mall is home to salons, a deli, a shoe repair shop, art studios and offices.

Swinson said he has no plans to change tenants.

In one of the most memorable uses, the owners built Down Under Columbia. It offered bars and restaurants in the basement, which operated from 1972 to 1974. The group of shops, bars and restaurants sought to mimic the success of Underground Atlanta. But the local version did not last.

One of the present owners, Rob Robison, “used to wash dishes in a restaurant there,” Barnes said.

Swinson said renovations are set to begin in July and the basement will be remodeled to accommodate retail or offices once again.

“We don’t have a specific purpose yet,” he said, “I don’t own bars, but if somebody did and wanted to go there, they could.”

Robert Swanson, who has owned Swanson’s Deli in the Arcade for the past eight years, said he’s looking forward to the improvements.

“It needs a little updating,” he said. “It’s been living in the past.”

This story was originally published May 26, 2015 at 7:49 PM.