New tech tenants move into BullStreet renovated historic building

If you’re looking for cookies, cakes and baked goods when you walk into the recently renovated Bakery at BullStreet building at 1721 Saunders St., you will be disappointed.

But if you are looking to see the renovation and conversion of one of Columbia’s most historic buildings into a high-tech working space, you’ll be in luck next week.

On Oct. 7, SOCO — the collaborative working space for technical professionals that opened at 823 Gervais St. in 2013 — and technology education campus The Iron Yard will host an all-day open house in their new home, including a noon ribbon-cutting ceremony and casual happy hour with beer, food trucks and lawn games from 4 to 7 p.m. The Iron Yard previous shared space with SOCO on Gervais Street.

The day is a celebration of SOCO and The Iron Yard setting up shop in the circa 1900 historic building on Saunders Street, the first component of the planned BullStreet Technology Village within the BullStreet development in downtown Columbia. This is SOCO’s second location as part of an expansion, while The Iron Yard is moving its facilities completely to BullStreet.

The 181-acre BullStreet redevelopment project is headed up by Upstate developer Bob Hughes of Hughes Development and is considered to be the city’s largest and most significant land deal ever.

The Oct. 7 event will also serve as a “Free Co-Working Friday” from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., allowing anyone interested to grab a desk, enjoy some free wi-fi and chat with employees with SOCO and The Iron Yard.

For more information on the project, http://bullstreetsc.com/.

This story was originally published September 29, 2016 at 9:02 AM with the headline "New tech tenants move into BullStreet renovated historic building."