How I Go Columbia: Developer Robert Hughes

As president of Hughes Development Corp. and project manager of Columbia’s new 181-acre BullStreet neighborhood, Greenville native Robert Hughes spends a considerable amount of time in South Carolina’s captial city.

After graduating from Duke University, Hughes worked in the financial sector in New York City before getting an MBA in real estate at Columbia University and returning to Greenville in 2012 to join the family business. HDC was an integral player in the redevelopment of downtown Greenville, and in line with the firm’s mission to revitalize downtown spaces via new urbanist principles, the team hopes to achieve something similar at BullStreet over the next two decades, as the former S.C. State Hospital campus is transformed into a downtown district where people live, work and play.

EAT

Given how much time we spend in Columbia, we eat out a lot, which means we get to try all of the new places opening all over Columbia. Spotted Salamander and No-Name Deli are our go-to lunch spots just a block or two from BullStreet. I’ve loved watching what’s happening in North Main and visiting the War Mouth and Vino Garage. We also take a lot of prospective tenants to Motor Supply and The Oak Table, while Sweet Cream Co. is hard to beat on a hot day. West Columbia has a lot happening too, where Terra is doing some really fun stuff with local farmers, and I’ve enjoyed experiencing the farm-to-table dinners at City Roots.

DRINK

I was a regular at First Citizens Cafe before Blue Flour Bakery took over in the fall, and I love what they have done with the space. That’s a great first stop in the morning. After hours, the team at Bourbon has done a phenomenal job with their craft cocktails and bourbon list. I also can’t wait for Hunter-Gatherer to open their new brewery in the Curtiss-Wright hangar.

PLAY

This one is unfair for me, as I have enjoyed every night I’ve spent at Spirit Communications Park. John Katz and the entire Fireflies baseball staff deserve a ton of credit for all of their really exciting promotional nights. “Purple Game, Purple Game” was a blast last year, and I can’t wait for this year’s “Total Eclipse of the Park” on Aug. 21 during the total eclipse. Outside of BullStreet, I think the Nickelodeon Theater is doing an amazing job of bringing a wide-variety of films to Columbia. When I am in town on the weekends, I make a point to stop by Soda City Market on Main Street and have been lucky enough to attend service at Downtown Church at 701 Whaley, which has just announced their move to BullStreet in the next year or so.

LISTEN

The music scene is strong in Columbia and seems to be growing fast. There are a large number of great outdoor art and music festivals here, from the S.C. Oyster Festival on the Historic Columbia grounds to Famously Hot New Year on Main Street. Music Farm and New Brookland Tavern bring in great touring bands, and the Five after Five local music series in Five Points is a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Ultimately, I hope BullStreet can capture some of the growing demand for live music in Columbia and host acts at Spirit Communications Park and other new venues.

SEE

The view I enjoy the most and see the most often is coming off of I-26 onto Elmwood Avenue and seeing the Babcock Building dome in the distance. We cannot wait for work to begin to restore the entire building and bring the dome back to life. I also love looking out onto the river from all of the bridges and plan to attend the Gervais Street Bridge Dinner later this year.

This story was originally published March 8, 2017 at 1:18 PM with the headline "How I Go Columbia: Developer Robert Hughes."