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Historic Columbia Foundation Recognizes USC Taylor House Rehabilitation
COLUMBIA, S.C. (May 5, 2025) – BOUDREAUX, Columbia-based architecture firm, is thrilled to announce that the Historic Taylor House at the University of South Carolina has received the Historic Columbia Foundation Award for Preservation, Rehabilitation, or Restoration. The recognition celebrates BOUDREAUX’s commitment to excellence in historic preservation.
The historic Taylor House, located on the same block as the Joseph F. Rice School of Law, another BOUDREAUX project, now houses the School of Law Admissions Offices, as well as classrooms and meeting spaces for faculty and students.
The rehabilitation of the Taylor House honors the architectural legacy of one of Columbia’s last remaining grand homes from the early 1900s. Over the years, the building saw multiple uses from a private residence to the Columbia Museum of Art to university police – each leaving behind non-historic additions and modifications that compromised its integrity. We led a multi-phase effort to remove those alterations, restore defining features, and adapt the space for modern institutional use.
Throughout the project, historic documentation played a crucial role in restoration. Original construction documents for both buildings were referenced, and exhaustive research took place to uncover historic photographs in state and local archives to ensure that all decisions aligned with the home’s authentic design and materiality. Historic lighting fixtures, woodwork, wallpaper, and built-ins were restored or replicated using archival photographs, interviews with the family, and original documents.
Through the annual Preservation Awards program, HCF Preservation Committee, comprised of architects, designers and urban planners, recognizes exemplary efforts on the part of businesses, institutions, and individuals that maintain the built heritage of Columbia and Richland County through preservation-based projects.
