Each May Historic Columbia Foundation ushers in the spring by joining the National Trust for Historic Preservation in celebrating Preservation Month. As part of that celebration, the Foundation recognizes several of Columbia's and Richland County's most exemplary preservation projects with the annual preservation awards.

The 2006 theme, Sustain America: Vision, Economics, and Preservation, offers the perfect outline for the 2005-06 awards and lays out considerations implicit in each of the award winning projects. The Foundation recognized six local projects this year that serve as models for restoration, adaptive reuse, and new construction in historic contexts.

Adaptive Reuse

+ Granby Mill

510 Heyward Street

+Cain-Tompkins-Matthews House (Part of the Inn at USC project)

1619 Pendleton Street

Restoration

+ Chapelle Administration Building

1530 Harden Street

+ North Columbia Fire Station Number 7

2622 North Main Street

+ Kirkland Apartments (Part of the Inn at USC project)

1611 Pendleton Street

New construction in an historic context

+ The Inn at USC

1619 Pendleton Street

Preservation Leadership

+ Robert Lewis

Historic Columbia was founded in 1961 by a group of preservationists determined to save the Ainsley Hall House, known today as the Robert Mills House. More than four decades later Historic Columbia now manages four historic house museums and their associated artifacts. Through programs of advocacy, education and preservation, Historic Columbia protects, supports and nurtures the historical and cultural heritage of Columbia, S.C. For more information, please visit www.historiccolumbia.org.