Senior Hall, home to thousands of students over the years, actually started out as just that — a home. Built in 1841, Senior Hall is actually built around an 1840s house, built for Oliver Parker, of New Hampshire. He moved to Columbia in 1821 and opened and operated a general merchandise store. He died the…
Author: diannaobrien
History blogger. Writer. Traveler. Curiosity drives me. I share what I learn at CoMoHistoricPlaces.com. My newest book, Historic Movie Theaters of Columbia, came out in October 2021. My 2017 book, From Melon Fields to Moon Rocks highlighted the life of Columbia resident Charles W. Gehrke, 1917-2009, a scientist and entrepreneur who founded ABC Labs, now Eurofins.
Keiser Avenue? Today it is Wilson Avenue
Historic homes can tell us more than just about buildings and architecture. Sometimes they can tell us about our culture and our past fears. Today, anti-immigration sentiment against Mexicans is making the news, but in the past, Germans bore the brunt of such negative feelings. The Walter and Helen Guthrie Miller home is at 1516 Wilson Avenue, built circa…
Daddy’s girl – 111 S. Ninth Street – Virginia Building
Ever wonder where the name for the Virginia Building at 111 S. Ninth Street came from? You could be faulted for thinking it came from someone longing for that Eastern seaboard state — but you’d be wrong. The Virginia Building was built in 1911 and named in 2002 to both the National Register of Historic Places and the Columbia…
Built by a cabinet maker’s apprentice – Taylor House – 716 W. Broadway
If you’ve driven past the Taylor House Inn at 716 W. Broadway, you’ve driven by a piece of history nearly forgotten today. No, it’s not contained in the 1909 Colonial Revival home itself, although that is impressive, especially after its $1.3 million renovation in 1999 by Deborah and Robert Tucker. It is the fact that…
John William “Blind” Boone – 10 N. Fourth Street
The home of John William “Blind” Boone at 10 N. Fourth Street is a perfect example of history that could have been lost, but for the efforts of dedicated volunteers and public funding. The residence of an African-American pianist who played and composed ragtime and classical music and resided in Columbia until his death in…
Black History – Annie Fisher, 2911 Old Highway 63 South
Nearly hidden between apartment buildings is a piece of Black history — the home of Annie Fisher, an early African-American entrepreneur. Located at 2911 Old Highway 63 South, this home is threatened with demolition, but that would erase a piece of history few know about. The house was named to the Columbia Notable Properties list in…
Spanish Influence – Vessell Home – 2 East Stewart Road
It can be easy to forget history, but historic homes serve as wonderful reminders. That’s the theme of the article, “Historic Home: A Slice of Spain,” published in the April/May 2006 Columbia Home & Lifestyle magazine written by Jim Muench. The home at 2 E. Stewart Road looks like something that could be found in Spain…
Greenwood Heights – built by slaves
Historic homes can be our touchstones to history, some of which we like to recall and some we’d like to forget. Greenwood Manor or Greenwood Heights at 3005 Mexico Gravel Road was built by slaves owned by Walter Raleigh Lenoir of Lenoir, North Carolina. That city was named for Lenoir’s father, who fought in the…
Historic renovation makes economic sense
John Ott, who has renovated several historic buildings, says historic renovation makes financial sense. His ideas are explained in full in a February 20, 2010 article in the Columbia Business Times. His most recent example is the Berry Building. For years, the building had been used as a warehouse. Then it went into decline and then…
National Register
The National Register of Historic Places was created in 1966 — only 44 years ago. Twenty-one places on the National Register are also on Columbia’s Notable Properties list, as of May 2010. The National Register was designed to help citizens preserve sites important to their own communities. It was created by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, which,…
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