With a campus as historic as the University of South Carolina, renovations are almost always underway.
The University was recently praised for some of these renovation projects. Over the past year, USC was presented with awards for the historic preservation of South Caroliniana Library, Longstreet Theatre and Campus Village. The University accepted the Preservation Honors Award from Preservation South Carolina for the renovation of the South Caroliniana Library in June. Awards from Historic Columbia were given for the renovation of Longstreet Theatre and construction of Campus Village.
The Preservation Honors award, sponsored through a collaboration between the non-profit Preservation South Carolina, the SC Department of Archives and History and the Governor's Office, celebrates successful historic preservation projects around the state.
"The selection panel was very impressed by the exhaustive planning, attention to historic detail and the work that went into this project," Joanna Rothell, director of outreach and preservation for Preservation South Carolina, said.
The South Caroliniana Library opened in 1840 as the first freestanding university library in the United States. It is now the most comprehensive collection of state history materials in South Carolina and primarily serves researchers who are interested in studying the rare materials stored there, said David Banush, dean of libraries.
The formal significance of the building makes it an important structure on campus, Banush said.
"Both as a building and as a place to store objects, it was very, very important that we try to extend its useful life for well into the next century," Banush said.
Extensive renovations, which began in 2017 and finished in 2023, focused on returning the building to its original appearance and providing structural updates. Funding for the $10 million project came from the state and private donors, university architect Derek Gruner said.
"There were some significant mechanical upgrades necessary in the building: Fire suppression, security control and humidity control, " Banush said.
Additional awards were given to the university by Historic Columbia, a non-profit dedicated to preserving Columbia and Richland County's historic heritage.
Historic Columbia recognized the university for renovations to Longstreet Theatre and the construction of Campus Village.
The Preservation, Rehabilitation or Restoration Institutional award given for Longstreet Theatre was "no surprise," university architect Derek Gruner said.
"It's one of our finest neoclassical buildings on campus, and the facades had started to look a little deteriorated over the last few years, and the renovation was pretty extraordinary," Gruner said. "It stripped off all the old paint down to the original woodwork of the 1850's and did a really exceptional job renovating those facades."
But receiving an award for Campus Village was unexpected considering it was new construction, Gruner said.
Historic Columbia chose Campus Village as the recipient of the Revitalization award, stating that the "university contributed to the city by realizing a particularly large and complex project in a manner that balances contemporary and future needs of the institution and community," according to their website.
"We all did a double take when we heard that it (Campus Village) had been nominated by Historic Columbia for that award ," Gruner said. "We tried to be deferential to the historic neighborhoods surrounding that site, and so I think just the nature of the architecture on that site is the reason it received an award."
The University of South Carolina should be a pioneer in the community in regards to historic preservation, Gruner said.
"We have an extraordinary amount of intellect and expertise on the campus to guide these types of innovations where we can really merge the facilities expertise with the human intellect about the histories that inform these projects," Gruner said. "We have an obligation to the community to be a leader when it comes to preservation."