Babcock fire ‘not a loss’ for people with disabilities, agency says. Here’s why

For disability activists at Able SC, the fire that destroyed much of the Babcock Building earlier this month was “not a loss, but an opportunity” to acknowledge rather than mourn the building’s past.

According to a statement Tuesday from Able SC, “This property is still a symbol of segregation and misconceptions about people with disabilities because (the building’s story) story is not fully told.”

Able SC is a non-profit promoting inclusivity and empowerment for individuals with disabilities through its center for independent living off of Gracern Road.

“With the recent burning of the building, we saw it as an opportunity to start a conversation,” said Sarah Nichols, the director of public relations for Able SC.

Much of the Babcock Building burned down early in the morning on Sept. 12, including the iconic red dome. More than 50 firefighters worked to centralize and put out the flames. The cause of the fire is still unknown.

The building was the focal point of the BullStreet redevelopment plan because of its signature dome. Clachan development bought Babcock to renovate into a 200-apartment complex, but the company has not confirmed if it is still moving forward with the plan.

The Babcock Building was home to the S.C. Lunatic Asylum, but later re-named the S.C. State Hospital for the duration of its 167 years of seeing patients. The building was abandoned in 1995 after the deinstitutionalization movement caused mental health services to become out-patient focused.

The S.C. State Hospital was under-staffed, had poor sanitation, dilapidated buildings and described as a “dormitory for the mentally ill” in a 1996 report from the South Carolina Department of Mental Health.

In 1900, the department reported 30% of the patients died annually.

The problems were part of a widespread, national mistreatment of mental health and the disabled.

For this reason, Able SC said, “Any version of BullStreet that pays no acknowledgment to the BullStreet of the past and only seeks to capitalize on the space does a disservice to the disability community in SC.”

Nichols said anything from a historical marker to a disability museum as part of the new Babcock Building development would be needed to acknowledge the former hospital’s past.

The agency is asking South Carolinians with disabilities to share their experiences with the Babcock Building or the S.C. State Hospital. With theses stories, Able SC plans to “create a shared history from the perspective of the disability community” and “build something meaningful” from the trauma of the past.

They are asking for stories about the S.C. State Hospital to be emailed to snichols@able-sc.org.