Work to revitalize Babcock Building, repair iconic cupola to begin four months after devastating fire

The luxury apartment project should be complete in 30 months

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) — Four months after it was destroyed in a fire, the iconic cupola atop the Babcock Building is making its comeback to the Columbia skyline.

Cachlan Properties, the real estate developer that owns the building, says due to tax credits and funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), they will now be able to repair the famous domed structure. 

Back in September, a three-alarm fire raged inside the Babcock Building, destroying what was a major part of the Columbia skyline for more than a century.

“That was gut-wrenching to see and get the call about that day, and we were concerned that we had lost the project,” said Hugh Shytle, the President of Cachlan Properties.

The Columbia Fire Department was able to contain the fire in just one part of the building, meaning that the plan to build luxury apartments in the historic structure was not a lost cause.

Now with the help of federal funding and tax credits, Clachan Properties can now bring back a piece of capital city history.

“We’re going to rebuild the cupola, we’re going to replace the cupola,” Shytle said. “A lot of people say it’s second only to the State House in terms of architectural significance in Columbia.”

With construction now full steam ahead, the project should take a little more than two years to complete.

In addition to damage from fires in 2018 and 2020, Shytle said there will be a lot of interior construction needed to revamp the building, which has been around since 1885.

The luxury apartment building set to occupy one of the major components of the South Carolina State Hospital is considered to be one of the major anchors of the upstart Bull Street District.

John Sherrer, the Director of Cultural Resources at Historic Columbia, said keeping one of the major links to nineteenth century architecture intact while revitalizing the community is so important, especially when it comes to restoring the Babcock Building and its cupola.

“That’s a good thing to come out of 2020 is to hear that this part of the building is going to be reconstructed and that the larger project is going forward unabated,” Sherrer said.

The building has been abandoned since 1996, but Shytle said he’s confident the project will keep the historic charm of the building intact, but will also provide a spark to the new district.

“Our job now is to preserve the architecture, repurpose the bones, and then reimagine the building, and try to make it contribute to Bull Street and Columbia now and in the future,” Shytle said. 

Shytle said if the project is completed according to schedule, people could start moving into the apartments as early as 2022.