New event, retail space set to open in an historic building at Columbia’s BullStreet
A more than 140-year-old building is set to see new life on Columbia’s BullStreet District campus.
The site’s laundry building, which dates to the 1880s and is the oldest surviving service building on the expansive property that formerly was home to the State Mental Hospital, is being renovated and reimagined as a roughly 15,000-square-foot mixed-use space, according to developer Avant Holdings.
That will include a more than 7,000-square-foot event venue called The Laundry, the centerpiece of the project that will be available for weddings, receptions and other gatherings. The event space is slated to be completed by December.
Additionally, the building will have a collective nearly 8,000 square feet available for retail, restaurant and office space. Tenants for those areas have not yet been announced, but Avant Holdings managing partner Todd Avant told The State the company has been in contact with several potential businesses. He predicted the retail and office spaces could be 100% leased within the next four months.
The Laundry is located at 2046 Talley St., directly behind The Babcock — the former hospital building that has since been turned into hundreds of luxury apartments — and south of Segra Park baseball stadium.
The redevelopment of the 141-year-old laundry building is the latest step in a 20-year-plan by Greenville’s Hughes Development and the city of Columbia to overhaul the sprawling, 181-acre former State Mental Hospital campus into a district with residences, restaurants, retail offerings, offices, the baseball stadium, a public park, the University of South Carolina’s planned new medical school and more.
“Restoring the Laundry Building has been a labor of love, and we’ve worked meticulously to bring this historic building back to life — transforming it into a unique mixed-use development that honors its past while integrating modern amenities,” Todd Avant said in a statement. “We’re excited to be part of Columbia’s continued progress and to soon welcome events to The Laundry, as well as future businesses that will occupy the available spaces within the development.”
The Laundry venue will be a multi-floor affair. On the main level there will be more than 4,300 square feet of event space, with a bridal suite, a dedicated catering room and expansive views of the iconic cupola atop the neighboring Babcock. The upper level will have about 2,700 hundred square feet of event space, and can be rented separately from the main level. The venue is highlighted by exposed brick, antique heart pine wood beams and other preserved historical touches.
The Laundry also will boast a large outdoor greenspace called The Grove, a lawn under a canopy of mature trees where additional events can be held. Project officials note The Grove will be located along a stretch of land that was once home to a prison camp for Union soldiers during the late stages of the Civil War.
Avant Holdings has partnered with architecture firm Studio 2LR on the revitalization of the historic building.
“Thanks to its recent rehabilitation, the historic laundry building — once an integral facet of daily operations at the former State Hospital — will assume a prominent role in the lives of contemporary residents and visitors to the BullStreet District,” Historic Columbia director of preservation John Sherrer said. “In adapting this notable 19th century landmark to modern uses, Todd Avant and Studio 2LR have deftly and sensitively transformed the formerly derelict circa 1883 building, all while maintaining the property’s unique form and architectural details.”
Hughes Development president Robert Hughes said The Laundry will be a worthy addition to BullStreet’s ever-evolving campus.
“We are thrilled to welcome The Laundry as the newest addition to BullStreet,” Hughes said in a statement. “This adaptive reuse project not only preserves the rich history of the laundry building but also creates an exciting space for events and future retail and commercial opportunities. We look forward to seeing The Laundry become a hub for community gatherings and a catalyst for continued growth in BullStreet.”
