West End Alley dedicated in Columbia’s Vista

Pioneer Vista developer Ben Arnold’s Gervais Street entertainment and office complex has gotten a makeover, complete with an outdoor sculpture dedicated to the sense of community that arose after the October floods.

Arnold Cos. officials on Thursday dedicated West End Alley, an entertainment complex featuring two new restaurants with a third to come, outdoor seating and a sleek new look.

West End Alley, in the 700 block of Gervais Street, now houses Tin Lizzy’s Cantina as well as City Bar and Fondue. Tsunami, Rocketman, and Wet Willie’s are currently located at the complex.

“We wanted to bring some new and improved venues to Columbia,” Arnold said during a dedication ceremony and concert in the complex’s parking lot.

Atlanta-based Tin Lizzy’s offers a Mexican flavor in its first South Carolina restaurant. It’s located in a 4,800-square-foot location that had been occupied by Tsunami, which has moved next door.

City Bar features a martini bar and fondue meals as well as desserts. The 3,600-square-foot venue combines traditional French style cuisine and modern touches.

Other businesses in the two-block Arnold complex include Rocket Man Piano Bar and Wet Willie’s.

The complex has more than 3,338 square feet, and Arnold Cos. plan to soon release the name of a tenant, likely a dueling piano concept, Arnold said.

The new alley runs between the two buildings that make up the complex. It includes exterior facade improvements, a stamped sidewalk, a covered outdoor seating area, new lighting and landscaping.

The redeveloped area was named “West End Alley” to reflect the “West Gervais” street complex, as the Arnold property is known.

The complex has seen a string of nightclubs come and go through the years, from Saddle Ridge, a country and Western bar, to the Vegas-style nightclub Club Ra, featuring Egyptian statues and a multi-level dance floor.

The complex also has included clubs Tabu, XS Nightlife, Banana Joe’s, Element Nightlife, Crocodile Rocks and the live music venue Headliners. Jillian’s, the longtime restaurant and entertainment venue that had been in the former railroad depot that’s part of the complex, closed in January.

Also Thursday, the Arnold family unveiled a new sculpture they dedicated to the city of Columbia. It was designed and built by Stephen Gamson, a Miami-based artist who has created other public pieces of art for the Arnolds. The new sculpture sits at the entrance of the complex on Gervais and is symbolic of the Vista’s West Gervais corridor, “where rivers and people come together in perfect harmony,” according to a dedication plaque.

Miami sculptor Gamson — Arnold’s former roommate at the University of Florida — attended Thursday’s event. He said he visited Columbia shortly after the October floods and was moved by the sense of community that arose to help the victims. The sculpture is blue aluminum in the shape of an abstract treble cleft. It’s called “Harmony.”

“There were a lot of people who were suffering and a lot of people who helped their brothers,” he said. “As an artist I found that inspiring.”

This story was originally published May 12, 2016 at 6:49 PM with the headline "West End Alley dedicated in Columbia’s Vista."