5 tallest buildings in Columbia have stood unchallenged for over a decade. What to know about them

You really have to lean your head back to see the tallest buildings in Columbia. And its no wonder, because Columbia holds South Carolina’s largest towers that are nearly impossible to miss on your drive through the city.

Columbia doesn’t want to stop growing taller, either.

Five Points could see a 105-foot hotel spring up in the coming years if the city of Columbia permits its construction, even though the maximum build height is 50-feet in lower Five Points.

Regardless of whether the hotel is built, it serves as a leading example of how businesses want to continue increasing the number of tall structures in Columbia.

These five buildings in Columbia have remained the city’s tallest for nearly two decades:

Capitol Center at 1201 Main Street

Capitol Center, standing at 349 feet tall, is the tallest building in S.C. and has been since it was constructed in 1987. It’s located in the heart of Columbia’s business district and stands 25 stories above Main Street. The building replaced a Wade Hampton Inn, which was imploded in 1985.

The skyscraper is used as office space for businesses and has over 1,000 people working inside during the week. Capitol Center contains around 460,000 square feet of office space and leases it to some state government agencies, top law firms and other businesses.

There is also a 7-story parking garage attacked to the building, containing more than 1,000 spaces.

The Hub at Columbia at 1426 Main Street

The Hub at Columbia, standing at 325 feet tall, was once SC’s largest building when it was constructed in 1983, but is currently the second-tallest building in the Midlands. It’s a student apartment complex for those at the University of South Carolina.

While the building was built in 1983, the Hub at Columbia didn’t open until 2014, when it brought over 840 student residents to downtown Columbia. The building originally housed SCANA, an electric and natural gas company, until 2009, where it sat vacant until it was renovated for student housing.

Before renovations, the building had 456,000 square feet of office space and was called the Palmetto Center.

Bank of America Plaza at 1901 Main Street

The Bank of America Plaza was built in 1989, is the third-largest building in Columbia and is the fourth-largest in S.C. It stands at 305 feet tall and has 17-stories.

The building is an office complex and has several amenities, such as a 24/7 fitness center, an ATM, on-site dry cleaning, and a restaurant.

Tower at 1301 Gervais

Tower at 1301 Gervais is the fourth-largest building in Columbia and the sixth-largest in S.C. Standing at 278 feet and 20 stories tall, it was once Columbia’s tallest building when it was first constructed in 1973.

It’s a high-rise office building and hosts a private club at the very top that offers views of the city. The building was originally constructed for Bankers Trust as their headquarters.

The Tower at Main and Gervais at 1221 Main Street

The Tower at Main and Gervais is Columbia’s newest tower, though it was built around 17 years ago in 2009. It’s Columbia’s fifth-largest building and the seventh-largest in S.C. It stands at 270 feet tall and has 19 stories.

The building is another high-rise office space with over 186,000 square feet of rentable rooms.