Potential BullStreet restaurant could overlook Fireflies stadium

Work has begun on renovations of the historic Ensor Building at BullStreet, located between Spirit Communications Park and the First Base Building in the 181-acre BullStreet neighborhood. The building is slated to have restaurant/hospitality space on the first floor, including a large outdoor patio overlooking the ballpark entrance plaza, as well as office space on the upper floor.

Master developer Hughes Development Corporation is working with architects Studio 2LR and Buchanan Construction to upfit the building, preserving historic elements while adding modern features.

According to Lara Hammond who wrote a history of the Ensor Building as part of USC’s “Digitizing Bull Street” initiative, the Ensor Building was completed in 1939 and served as a research laboratory for the Ensor Research Foundation.

“The building was named after Joshua Fulton Ensor, who was the second superintendent of the campus from 1870 to 1877,” Hammond wrote. “The intentions of the Ensor Research Foundation, founded in 1945, from the beginning were to make improvements in mental health patients and health in general.”　

Hughes Development is "excited to be reviving the emblematic structure" at BullStreet, according to Robert Hughes, president of Hughes Development Corp. and project manager at BullStreet.

"The first floor, with its sizable interior and huge outdoor patio, is a phenomenal opportunity for guests to have a unique dining experience right on the Spirit Communications Park plaza, at the center of BullStreet," Hughes said.

The two-story brick building was built in the neoclassical style, with Doric plinths and capitals and a rounded arch over the front door. Approximately 3,800 square feet will be available for office space on the second floor, while the first floor will offer approximately 3,800 square feet of restaurant space with an expansive outdoor patio adjacent to the baseball stadium’s entrance plaza.

Hughes Development does not announce tenants, but allows the tenants to make their own announcements, according to Hughes.

Buchanan Construction Services worked with Hughes Development on the renovation of the Bakery Building at BullStreet and is excited to be a part of another project in the neighborhood, according to Davis Buchanan, head of Buchanan Construction.

"What a grand old lady Ensor is – and when finished, she’ll be a beautiful destination," Buchanan said. “It’s thrilling to be a part of what is happening in the BullStreet Development."

The Ensor Building at BullStreet is located at 2180 Boyce St., Columbia, S.C. 29201, immediately adjacent to Spirit Communications Park in the BullStreet district.

Located within blocks of downtown Columbia, the BullStreet district is a 181-acre, mixed-use redevelopment of the former South Carolina State Hospital campus, set for completion on a 20-year timeline with an anticipated $1.2 billion annual economic impact designed by master developer Hughes Development Corporation of Greenville. BullStreet is home to Spirit Communications Park--home of the Columbia Fireflies, the First Base Building office/retail complex, the Ensor Building at Bullstreet, the Parker Annex office building and the new Bakery at BullStreet building in the growing BullStreet Technology Village. BullStreet contains 125,000-plus square feet of commercial/office and retail space and is zoned for up to 3.3 million square feet of commercial use and 3,553 residential units.

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This story was originally published January 31, 2017 at 2:22 PM with the headline "Potential BullStreet restaurant could overlook Fireflies stadium."