photo by @jasonautryphoto
Five homes in West Cola’s Mill Hill neighborhood (dating back to 1894 + listed on the National Register of Historic Places) – near State St. + the in-progress Brookland development – are set to be torn down to create a parking lot for the West Columbia Riverwalk + amphitheatre.
The City of West Columbia wants to use the soon-to-be-cleared space for a dirt lot for Total Solar Eclipse viewing, before it’s turned into a permanent, paved parking lot. Meaning: the demolition may happen soon, within the next month. Four of the homes have already been purchased by the City. The ‘hood being listed on the Register does not guarantee the preservation of the homes.
Some against the demolition feel it’s the City compensating for parking issues created in part by the Brookland multi-use development. Current + former residents of Mill Hill are trying to show the neighborhood’s significance to try to save the homes, via artistic documentation + personal meet-and-greets.
Historic Columbia is warning the City that this is not a good idea – and while the City is looking into having the the houses moved vs. destroyed, that would take more time + money from Council (which is not being provided at the moment).
