Historic house in downtown Columbia that was once a funeral home to become apartments, cafe
A building along Columbia’s Gervais Street that was once a place that acknowledged the end of life is now set to see a rebirth.
The W.B. Smith Whaley House, a historic structure which for years was the location of Dunbar Funeral Home, is set to be renovated and redeveloped, with a cafe or coffee shop on the first floor and apartments on the upper levels. The house is at 1527 Gervais St., directly across the street from the University of South Carolina’s law school building.
Developer Tom Prioreschi, whose Capitol Places company has redeveloped a number of historic properties in downtown Columbia, particularly in the Main Street District, is part of the group that is working on the former funeral home property, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
He said he was enthused about the Gervais Street project.
“That’s just about all I’ve done since we’ve been in Columbia, (redeveloping) historic buildings,” Prioreschi told The State. “This fits our wheelhouse.”
Prioreschi said he has a handful of partners on the project, including attorneys Robert Lewis and Chris Rogers, as well as developer Will Brennan, who is a Columbia City Councilman in District 3. Prioreschi said the redevelopment of the former funeral home will likely cost about $2 million. There would be six apartments on the upper floors, he said.
Prioreschi said the project would be getting funding from the GBX Group, of Ohio, which specializes in projects involving historic buildings in urban areas.
Word of the redevelopment of the Gervais Street property was first reported by The Post and Courier.
Per the state Department of Archives and History, the house at 1527 Gervais St. was built in 1892 and 1893 by W.B. Smith Whaley. An entry from the home’s National Register description said Whaley “specialized in the design, engineering and building of cotton mills as well as in the construction of residences” and was responsible for the design and construction of the Olympia, Granby and Richland cotton mills.
The Gervais Street structure was a residence until it became the Dunbar Funeral Home in 1924.
It remained a funeral home for decades. Dunbar now has funeral homes on Devine Street, Woodrow Street and in northeast Columbia.
The house on Gervais Street is an example of Queen Anne architecture and is instantly recognizable to people traversing Gervais Street because of its soaring turret on the southeast corner of the building.
Prioreschi said a key part of the project will be exposing and renovating the old porch, which has long been enclosed. He said he envisions people being able to dine on the porch when the project is completed.
Brennan said he was intrigued by the prospects of the redevelopment of the Whaley house.
“It kind of checks all of the boxes for me,” Brennan told The State. “Historic, adaptive reuse, and it’s in a great part of town.”
Brennan said keeping the historic look and feel of the home, while also upgrading it with elements such as bringing back the aforementioned porch, is “a must.”
“We are hoping it will be a wonderful dining experience there on the porch, with the law school across the street, and hotels nearby,” Brennan said. “I think it will be a good destination.”
