Main Barringer The Barringer Building, 1338 Main St., was designed by Lafaye and Lafaye architects.

It was a wonderful day for re-discovering Main Street. On Saturday, April 29, Historic Columbia Foundation sponsored Urban Access - Main Street Living Tour.

After decades of decaying buildings and dangerous nights, Main Street is coming alive with people who want to live in a downtown urban center. Columbia flirted with restrictive zoning after WWII trying to separate residential, commercial, and manufacturing sectors. Families who lived above their retail establishments fled to the suburbs as did theaters, restaurants, and department stores. Main Street became home to bankers and government workers during the day and vagrants at night. Now, that foolishness is over, and Historic Columbia is showing the way to new adaptive reuse of the old buildings.

My wife, Linda, and I took the history walking tour with guide Clemmie Edwards, then visited the developing residential apartments and condos:

+ Barringer Building - Columbia's first skyscraper, 1903, will soon house over 70 apartments and a bank.

Main Dime The Canal Dime Savings Bank, 1530 Main St., is Columbia's only surviving example of Richardsonian Romanesque style of architecture. + Kress - Home of Kress 5 &10 for over 40 years is home to Rising High Natural Bread Company and will soon contain two floors of apartments.

+ Walgreen's - Walgreen's Drug Store was located in the 19th century building for decades. Soon, the historic building will contain five live/work spaces, two retail shops, and 29 condos.

+ Canal Dime Savings Bank - Mill owner Smith Whaley and Gadsden Shand built this bank in 1897. Two luxury apartments are now on the second and third floors. Soon a restaurant will open on the ground floor.

+ Silver's - Built in 1916, this building housed Silver's 5&10 for 70 years. It is being renovated for 10 residential and two commercial condos.

Main Silvers The Silver's Building, 1546 Main St., moved into an 1860s brick building in 1916. + McCrory's - In 1910 McCrory's 5&10 moved into this three-story French Victorian building. In the near future residents and shoppers will return to this historic site.

+ Berry's On Main - Built in 1911, this building housed two department stores until Berry's On Main took over during the depression and lasted until 1982. Soon this building will contain choice apartments.

+ Tapp's - In 1903, the Tapp family set up a department store here. It was expanded in 1939 in the Depression Modern style. The Firm is now in the ground floor, and apartments are opening in the upper floors.

As I walked along Main Street, I became aware of the work being done to restore the original faades. Finally, developers are realizing that construction in the late 19th and early 20th centuries is worth saving.

Main Tapps The Tapp's Building, 1642 Main St., housed Columbia's distinctive department store with the slogan, "Meet me at Tapp's." Looking up, I saw what is normally missed by everyday shoppers. The roof tops and cornices are elegant. They tell the story of a rich past. Main Street is looking up, and it is worthwhile to look up at the beauty of Columbia, Star of the South.

Picture on front page Main Kress The Kress Building, 1508 Main St., was designed by the Kress Company architect "to stand out, but not too much."