Almost 40 years after its destruction, memories of the Heath family’s former residence remain strong among Columbians who knew the building first-hand. Image by John Hensel, John Hensel Collection, South Caroliniana Library, University of South Carolina, Columbia
Landmarks have a way of grounding us. Perhaps they are a destination on the horizon that serves as a beacon. Maybe they are marker to indicate how far we have journeyed.
Both perspectives are true for a once-storied property considered at one time to be among the most impressive residences built in Columbia. Known for decades for the family who called it home and later for the Episcopal school that was founded and operated there, Heathwood Hall remains a historically significant site in local memory.
Erected in 1914 following plans by architect William Augustus Edwards, Heathwood Hall was an imposing Neoclassical residence situated on a 12-acre plot of land in what would become, under the direction of its owner, Moses Chappell Heath, one of the city’s most prestigious early suburbs. Following its construction, the Heath family’s mansion was hailed for how it perfectly conformed to the nature surrounding it. From the mansion, Heath carefully oversaw the construction of other homes in a new residential development where he vetted his soon-to-be new neighbors and ensured architectural harmony.
The building’s gracious size and setting made it the ideal location in 1950 for what would become Heathwood Hall Episcopal School. By 1974, the private school had outgrown Mr. Heath’s former home and relocated outside the city limits. Some visionary citizens felt the vacant building would be fitting as the state’s governor’s mansion. Others had a different view, one that involved demolishing the generations-old landmark to capitalize on the redevelopment potential that its sprawling grounds offered. Ultimately, that vision prevailed.
Today, Heathwood Hall is remembered through photographs and the iconic masonry and concrete columns that mark its former boundaries within the neighborhood.
Learn more about this significant site and others during Historic Columbia’s upcoming Second Sunday Stroll on September 14. For more information visit: historiccolumbia.org.
Loading Comments