Historic Columbia Foundation Receives 2013 Preservation Service Award from Gov. Haley
June 12, 2013
COLUMBIA, SC – June 12, 2013 – Governor Nikki Haley presented Historic Columbia Foundation with the 2013 Preservation Service Award during the 2013 Historic Preservation Awards Ceremony at the South Carolina Statehouse on Tuesday, June 11. These awards, sponsored by the Palmetto Trust for Historic Preservation, the S.C. Department of Archives & History and the Office of the Governor, recognize exceptional accomplishments in the preservation, rehabilitation and interpretation of South Carolina’s architectural and cultural heritage.
We are honored to be recognized with the Preservation Service Award, said HCF Executive Director Robin Waites. This program was developed to honor the legacy of Modjeska Simkins, and we are excited about the possibilities that it holds for the future.
Historic Columbia received the Preservation Service Award for the Modjeska Simkins Scholar-in-Residence Program, which piloted in May 2012. The circa-1895 Modjeska Simkins House dependency cottage was rehabilitated as a live-work space for Historic Columbia’s Modjeska Simkins Scholar-in-Residence program, financed in part by a Save America’s Treasures grant.
The building received structural upgrades, new electric, HVAC, plumbing, and security systems, plaster repairs, in-kind interior decoration replacements, interior paint analysis, and a reconstructed porch based on archival photographs.
Working closely with architects at the Boudreaux Group and Willm Construction, we successfully adapted an historically important building to a vital, contemporary use, adds John Sherrer, director of cultural resources at Historic Columbia Foundation.
Caitlyn Verboon, a doctoral student from Yale University, was the first scholar-in-residence and lived and worked in the cottage for four months while she researched Columbia and Richland County during Reconstruction. This program, which fulfills Historic Columbia’s educational mission, restored the building to its original live-work use and will continue to produce not only invaluable research materials, but also increased heritage tourism and educational and interpretive products.
About Historic Columbia Foundation: In November 1961, a small group of individuals intent on saving the Ainsley Hall House from demolition officially incorporated as the Historic Columbia Foundation. Over the next five decades the organization, which was founded on the premise of preservation and education, would take on the stewardship of seven historic properties in Richland County. Today, the organization serves as a model for local preservation efforts and interpretation of local history. Visit historiccolumbia.org for details, or find us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
About The Palmetto Trust for Historic Preservation: The Palmetto Trust for Historic Preservation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and protecting the irreplaceable architectural heritage of South Carolina through advocacy, education and networking. The Palmetto Trust is South Carolina’s only statewide partner with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. For more information, visit www.palmettotrust.org or call 803.896.6234.
