Five Points property with Civil Rights history could be converted into housing
The corner of Harden and Gervais streets in Columbia’s busy Five Points neighborhood could be getting even more housing – with the possible revival of a historic property that filled a need in Columbia’s African American community during the Jim Crow era.
Developers hope to restore a 111-year-old property at 2101 Gervais St. closer to its original appearance and convert the building into housing. An application to the city’s Design/Development Review Commission also notes possible future plans to build 1-2 duplexes in a lot behind the existing building.
Physician and Waverly neighborhood native W.D. Chappelle Jr. opened the infirmary in 1914, at a time when healthcare was segregated and African American residents had limited access to doctors, especially Black doctors, according to information included in the developer’s application the the city.
“This business was established in the height of the Jim Crow era, when Black patients did not have access to white doctors and hospitals,” explains the developer’s application for historic tax abatement. “Having a Black doctor who could perform surgeries and provide medicine and toiletries to the Waverly neighborhood would have been an important resource for the community and would have drawn patients from all across Columbia for treatment.”
Eventually the infirmary closed, though it is not clear exactly when. It went through many iterations afterward, including as a florist, a barbershop and most recently as office space.
The effort to bring the building closer to its original appearance will include uncovering original window and door openings, restoring wood windows, removing portions of the stucco exterior to expose the original brick, and more.
Developers are asking that the building be certified under the Bailey Bill, which allows the property to receive a special tax abatement for historic buildings. The project’s applicant is Chandler Culbertson, the same person who last week presented plans to Columbia’s Planning Commission for three new apartment buildings elsewhere in Five Points. Culbertson didn’t immediately respond to The State’s questions about the project.
The city’s planning commission last week recommended approval for the three-building apartment complex, to be located on Gregg Street just behind the student apartment complex The Station at Five Points. The historic infirmary property sits on the other side of Gervais and Harden streets from the student housing complex.
