A Taste of the South is the anchor street- level retail tenant for the re- development of the city's old fire house at the corner of Senate and Park Streets. The city fire station's original design is to be held together for its new tenants. A Taste of the South is a 15- year- old Columbiabased catalog online retailer which features Southern pecans and other regional nuts and treats sold in decorative tins. They also feature a line of corporate gift baskets and other specialty foods found in the Southern states.

A Taste of the South is the anchor street- level retail tenant for a new development converting the city's old fire house at the corner of Senate Street and Park Street, diagonally across the intersection from Ruth's Chris Steak House and its landlord, the Columbia Hilton.

A Taste of the South is owned by Eli Abikhaled, who also is head of Cedar Development LLC, a partner in the development of the fire station property.

Above A Taste of the South, architecture and engineering firm Stevens & Wilkinson (S & W) is relocating from the basement of the Carolina First building at the corner of Hampton Street and Main Street. S&W will occupy the entire second level facing Senate Street as well as a small access on the street level next to A Taste of the South.

Tom Prioreschi, developer S&W is best known locally for buildings on Columbia's Main Street: State House renovation and suspension for earthquakes; 1333 Main Street, originally IBM; Palmetto Center, aka Scana (for now); Marriott Hotel; 1441 Main Street, originally First Union, now Wachovia, soon likely to be JPMorgan Chase; Carolina First; and the Columbia Museum of Art. Most recently S&W designed the Meridian in the 1300 block of Main Street for Holder Properties.

The Atlanta office of S&W produced the construction documents for the Richland County Public Library on Assembly, following the architectural design by Gene Aubry, designer of the Houston Central Library, and the interior design by Ken Bentson, brother of U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentson (D- TX).

S&W is also a partner in the development of the fire station property, as is the Columbia Development Corporation. The City of Columbia, through the Columbia Development Corporation, reportedly put $850,000 into the deal, according to Ned Pendarvis, outgoing chairman of CDC.

J. Lesesne Monteith, architect, and Ned Pendarvis, CDC chairman Behind the fire station and adding new construction to existing structures, to include a four- story training tower, Capitol Places VII will further develop the site to accommodate residential units. The number and size of units are yet to be determined.

Capitol Places VII, led by Columbia- based developer Tom Prioreschi, is also a partner as the prime developer in the fire station conversion. Prioreschi is known for Main Street residential projects: Barringer Building upgrade to apartments, offices, and retail; Kress Five & Dime conversion to apartments and ground- level occupancy by Rising High; 1520 Main Street, condominiums; Silvers Condominiums; Berry's on Main, apartments and retail; and soon the conversion of Tapps from rental apartments into condominiums for sale.

Ashby Gressette, architect, and Whitney Black, owner of Whit- Ash Furniture Most of Prioreschi's projects have been designed by Columbiabased architect, J. Lesesne Monteith.

Prioreschi bought the fire station in 2006 for $2.35 million. In the late 1980s, Columbia City Council paid a structural engineering firm to tell them the building was in hopeless disrepair with an uncertain foundation, mostly be-cause the city had other uses for the site. Engineers now say otherwise.

Archtectural historians, however, never waivered in the more than 50 years since Columbia architect Heyward S. Singley designed the fire station. It is still a handsome structure and well worth preserving.

Mayor Bob Coble and Ric Luber of the Midlands Authority for Conventions, Sports, and Tourism