Garden District Could Breathe New Life Into Downtown

"Historic Columbia is embarking on an estimated 10-year, multimillion-dollar effort to turn the area bounded by Calhoun, Taylor, Marion and Barnwell streets into a destination garden district.

Under the plan, the 18 blocks that encompass downtown's five historic homes would feature landscapes spanning 100 years of gardening, from 1820 to 1920. The project would include interpretive signs, streetscaping and pedestrian walks intended to attract tourists and locals alike.

Also, the new district would be a walkable link between adjacent but disparate neighborhoods: Main Street to the west, Bull Street to the north, USC to the south and Allen and Benedict colleges to the east."