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Current Projects and Buildings in Use in the BullStreet District
An overview of what’s happening across the 181-acre district
Summer 2021

There is always a project in progress at the BullStreet District in downtown Columbia, S.C. This spring, there are seven construction crews on site (with more to follow this summer). With 181 acres and 3.3 million square feet of space, the BullStreet District is roughly the same size as the entire office market in the central business district of Greenville, S.C. The annual economic impact of the district — known as the largest urban redevelopment project on the East Coast — is expected to be $1.2 billion upon completion. S.C.’s first urban gigabit community, the BullStreet District is home to high tech companies, a coworking space, multiple special event spaces, an award-winning baseball stadium and much more.

Infrastructure
• 2+ miles of new underground infrastructure and more than 1 mile of new roadway, with all-new water, sewer, power, gas and gigabit internet under the roads.
• 1st urban gigabit community in South Carolina (1000 Mbps internet speed, 100 times faster than the national average of 10 Mbps)
• New roads for jogging, walking your dog, cycling: Boyce Street, Saunders Street, Freed Street, Talley Street, Fig Street, McLeese Street, McClennan Street.

Segra Park (f.k.a. Spirit Communications Park)
• Home to the Columbia Fireflies Minor League Baseball team.
• Events are hosted at the stadium and in the club lounge, from charity walks and events to receptions and parties.
• Awarded 2016 Ballpark of the Year and Class A Ballpark of the Decade in 2019 by BallPark Digest.
• More than 1.3 million baseball and special event guests thus far.
• Open as a public park daily from 7:00 a.m. until dark except for during games and events.
o Things you can do now at the park:
 Walk the 1/3 mile track around the stadium concourse.
 Run stairs in the stadium.
 Eat lunch at a table or in the stands.
 Chill in a lawn chair in the grass in the outfield.
• A Blue Bike share station is now located on the ballpark entrance plaza, per a partnership between the City of Columbia and BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina.
• Owned by the City of Columbia, leased and managed by Hardball Capital.

The historic Ensor Building
• A mixed-use building adjacent to Segra Park.
• User experience strategy and design firm truematter occupies a 3,600 square feet office space — the entire second floor.
• First floor is the future home of a restaurant tenant.
• Historic renovation by Hughes Development Corporation, Buchanan Construction Services and Studio 2LR Architecture.

The mixed-use First Base Building
• With 108,541 square feet of Class A office space and retail space, the five-story First Base Building at BullStreet is the largest private office building built in Columbia, S.C., since 2009.
• Businesses and tenants:
o Founders Federal Credit Union full-service office and ATM.
o Global tech giant Capgemini, 2nd and 3rd floor.
o Ogletree Deakins law firm, 4th floor.
o Central Carolina Community Foundation, 4th floor.
o Fifth story outdoor roof deck for events.
• Designed by Cooper Carry, construction by Brasfield & Gorrie. Selected interior upfits by Buchanan Construction.

Planned Babcock Building renovation into residences
• Historic renovation has begun to transform the 254,000 sq. ft. building into 200+ apartments by Clachan Properties.
• The 30-month construction process began December 2020 after securing critical federal funding.
• The iconic cupola of the Babcock Building will be replaced after it was destroyed in a September 2020 fire.
• The first phase of construction is set to be completed by the end of 2021, and tenants could move in by early 2022.
• The Babcock Building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
• Clachan specializes solely in massive historic renovation projects.

Bakery at BullStreet building
• Current home to SOCO Cowork, creator space and event venue.
• Winner of Historic Columbia 2017 Preservation Award.
• The hub of the growing BullStreet Technology Village.
• Historic renovation by Hughes Development Corporation, Buchanan Construction Services and architects 1x1 Design.

The TownPark at BullStreet 28-townhome community
• 2- and 3-bedroom modern townhomes with roof decks, garages and a private courtyard.
• As of Spring 2021, nine of the planned 28 townhomes have been built, and phase three of construction is underway.
• BullStreet’s first resident moved into her new three-bedroom TownPark at BullStreet townhome in August 2018. All nine existing townhomes are either sold or under contract.
• New construction by the TerraNova Group with sales by The Moore Company.

Parker Annex Archaeology Center
• First-ever home for the S.C. Department of Natural Resources’ Heritage Trust program at Parker Annex Archaeology Center.
• Won Historic Columbia Preservation Award in Spring 2018.
• Historic renovation by Columbia development firm Diversified Development. SC DNR leases the space. Architect: Studio 2LR Architecture; Builder: Hood Construction.

Central Energy special event venue
• There’s a new kind of buzz at Central Energy, the former steam plant in the BullStreet District that’s been restored as a modern venue for special events of all kinds, as well as the services of Downtown Church.
• Central Energy has rolled open its doors (quite literally, as the space boasts swanky industrial bay doors that open to a modern courtyard) to host unforgettable special events, from intimate weddings to fancy fundraising galas.
• Featured in Martha Stewart Weddings online in Spring 2020.
• Capacity for up to 500-900 guests, but can be customized for groups of 150-200.
• Chef Crawford Pressley’s Loosh Culinaire is the collaborative in-house caterer at Central Energy.
Renovation completed in late 2018 by Garvin Design Group and Hammer Construction.

Page Ellington Park, a 20-acre public park
• A 20-acre public park with a dog park, walking/jogging/biking trails, flexible open areas and 2-acre pond is now open.
• The park is named for Page Ellington, a prominent member of Columbia’s elite Reconstruction-era African American community who played a key role in the design of the State Mental Hospital campus as a builder and architect.
• 1,600 linear feet of Smith Branch Creek has been daylighted where it formerly ran underground. The resurfaced creek now runs through the new public park, restoring natural habitats and helping mitigate flooding downstream.
• Public park will be managed and owned by the City of Columbia.
• Parties working on the park include Beau Welling Design and Robinson Design Engineers, among others.

Planned USC Health Sciences campus
• Planned 16-acre campus to house new medical school and research center, as well as other ancillary uses.

Merrill Gardens active senior community
• 196-unit active senior living facility with a rooftop deck and sports bar, 24-hour dining, staffing and scheduled transportation.
• Construction was completed in early 2020 with residents moving in July 2020.
• A joint venture by Second Fifty Communities, Pillar Properties and Merrill Gardens.

Planned WestLawn
• WestLawn will be the first mass timber office building in Columbia and largest office building of its kind in South Carolina.
• The first floor will house retail stores, with the top four floors offering Class A office space, totaling in 79,000 sq. ft.
• WestLawn will be ready for occupancy in April 2022.
• WestLawn is located between Starbucks and Segra Park on Pickens St. between Freed St. and Matilda Evans St. (f.k.a. Williams Dr.)
• The WestLawn team includes developer and leasing agent Hughes Development Corporation, architectural design by Perkins and Will, building contractor Brasfield & Gorrie, LLC, civil engineering firm Davis & Floyd, civil contractor C.R. Jackson, and structural engineering firm Britt Peters.

REI Co-op store
• National retailer known for quality outdoor gear.
• 20,000 square feet.
• REI’s second South Carolina location.
• Located at the corner of Bull Street and Freed Street.
• New construction by McCrory Construction of Columbia, designed by Wakefield Beasley Architects in Atlanta.

Starbucks
• Iconic Seattle-based coffeehouse opened in January 2021.
• 2,500 sq. ft. stand-alone building, featuring a drive-through and outdoor seating.
• It is located at the new traffic light at where Matilda Evans Street meets Bull Street, adjacent to REI Co-Op.
• New construction by McCrory Construction of Columbia, designed by Nelson Architects in Atlanta.

Planned Iron Hill Brewery
• Scratch kitchen and craft brewery, pairing fresh ingredients with high quality grains and hops.
• The 7,500 sq. ft. Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant will feature an on-site brewing facility, with seating for ~250, which includes a bar area, dining room and outdoor dining space. Located at
• First location in Columbia, and the second SC location.
• Located at the intersection of Bull Street and Matilda Evans Street.
• New construction; Iron Hill is partnering with Bray Architecture and McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture.

About the BullStreet District
Known as the largest urban redevelopment project on the East Coast, the BullStreet District is an active transformation of the historic, 181-acre South Carolina State Hospital campus into a vibrant, mixed-use lifestyle district that reflects the authenticity of downtown Columbia, S.C. The state’s first urban gigabit community, BullStreet is a city-within-a-city, located one mile from the S.C. State House and anchored by the award-winning stadium, Segra Park, home of the Columbia Fireflies Minor League Baseball team. Well into a 20-year buildout that started in January 2015, the district already is home to an array of local and national businesses, including REI Co-Op and Capgemini. Zoned for a total of 3.3 million sq. ft. of commercial use and 3,558 residential units, BullStreet is already home to more than 280,000 sq. ft. of office and retail.