Gonzales Gardens Demolition Begins: Saying Goodbye To An Era

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Columbia, SC (WOLO)–  Wednesday kicks off the demolition of historic Gonzales Gardens. Many former residents had a hard time watching their old home get torn down.  

“It’s bitter-sweet,” Queen Elizabeth Thomas Bryant said, a former resident. 

“It’s just hurtful to see them go down,” Debra Mims, another former resident said. 

As they watched the bricks fall, they remember growing up in the Gonzales Gardens community, from learning how to ride a bike, to learning how to drive their first car. 

“Just so many memories here, and wonderful friends and family here. I will never forget this place. I will never, ever forget Gonzales Gardens. It’s forever in my heart,” Thomas-Bryant said. 

Columbia Housing Authority bought the property in 1939. Now, they are putting in more than $6o million to tear down the 30 buildings and rebuild so there will be almost 20 more units.

“These walls have seen and heard enough, so it’s time for a change,” Arlene Mitchell said, another former resident. 

Most of the residents agree with the elected officials who spoke today, saying while a piece of Columbia’s history is being taken down, they are excited to build a new future. 

“It was time for the neighborhood to be rebuilt and taken to another level. I know sometimes you have to get rid of the old and bring in the new in order to prosper and go forward,” Mims said.   

“When you finally see the shovels get put in the ground, or the frames going up, or a building getting knocked down it’s a sign of progress,” Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook said. 

“The buildings may come down, but the memories will remain,” Mitchell said. 

The future is just as excited for the door that’s now opened.

“Houses knockin’ them down. And it says boom!” Jada said.