Historic Columbia VA building was slated to become apartments. Now it’s being sold again
A Paris-based diplomat who had hoped to turn Columbia’s former Veterans Administration building on Assembly Street into luxury apartments is handing off the project to developers closer to home.
Greenville-based Blackstock Development is under contract to purchase the 1801 Assembly St. building, according to local architect Scott Garvin.
The plans for the building haven’t changed, Garvin said. Roughly 85 luxury apartments, a rooftop pool and speakeasy-style bar are all still attached to the development, which previously received design and zoning approvals from the city.
Because the proposal wouldn’t dramatically change under the new ownership, no additional city approvals should be necessary, Garvin added.
Justin Etzin, an international real estate developer and a former consul general to the U.S. for the East African country Seychelles, purchased the property in 2018 for roughly $2.6 million. It was acquired along with several properties in a real-estate holding, according to Garvin.
Garvin’s architectural firm, Garvin Design Group, has worked with Etzin’s company on the historic redevelopment. He said Etzin is now selling the property in part because of the challenges of developing the project while living abroad.
Representatives for Etzin’s company, Global Ocean Investments, which is based in Seychelles, were not immediately reached for comment.
Garvin added if another developer hadn’t been interested in the building, Etzin planned to follow through with the previously announced project.
“The ex Federal building sits at the highest point in Columbia and offers spectacular views across the city,” Etzin previously told The State. “We aim to create the most desirable residential address in Columbia with cutting edge separate facilities you would normally see in an international 5 (star) hotel.”
In addition to apartments and a variety of amenities for residents, the project promised several bars and restaurants and rentable event space for the public.
Blackstock Development was not immediately reached by phone or email by The State, but Garvin said they are in the due diligence stage of purchasing the building from Etzin.
Blackstock has made an offer to buy the building that all parties have agreed to, Garvin said, but it will likely take a few months for the deal to close and the property to officially change hands.
Garvin did not know how much money Blackstock is offering Etzin to buy the property.
It is the latest in a series of shifting expectations for the ornate but unused Veterans Administration property, which has been vacant since at least 2015.
Federal officials relocated their offices in 2009, but some call-center employees remained at the 1801 Assembly St. property until 2015. When it became officially vacant, federal officials wanted to level the building in favor of more downtown parking.
That proposal was quickly shot down by then-Mayor Steve Benjamin and historic preservation advocates across Columbia.
