Interesting Facts

Picture
  • Originally referred to as the Lunatic Asylum, the South Carolina State Hospital construction began in 1821 and was one of the first public mental hospitals established in the United States. Circa 1883, The Laundry is the oldest surviving service building on the campus and is adjacent to other historic service buildings like the Bakery that was part of the hive of industry which operated in the background to help support the mental asylum.
  • During the Civil War, the “Asylum,” as it then was known, hosted a variety of visitors, including party-goers, prisoners, and refugees. On April 22, 1864, a barbeque featuring 3,500 pounds of meat was thrown in honor of General Wade Hampton III and his soldiers. The meal was served on tables placed around the institution’s grounds, which served as the backdrop for a fair-like atmosphere in which women sold coffee, cakes, and other desserts under the shadow of bloodstained battle flags. In December 1864, Confederate officers were granted the use of an unoccupied square of land on the Asylum property (which is known to be on a portion of the Laundry parcel) for a prison, which subsequently became known as “Camp Asylum.” At the time of the siege on Columbia in February 1865, hundreds of dislocated residents sought refuge at the Asylum, where they received shelter and what meager provisions remained.
  • The cupola’s original spire and large year 1901 industrial fans have been enhanced visually with storefront glass, accent lights and the fans motorized to slowly turn as before.
  • Massive dryers were present each weighing around 500 pounds in the abandoned Laundry Building. One has been preserved in its entirety and repositioned in the front Main Building Lobby. Others have been re-purposed by local artists such as in the Main Lobby the large drums from the dryers were fabricated into industrial style chandeliers.
  • The clerestories, skylights, and exterior staircase are all part of the original historic character and have been carefully modified to meet current code.
  • Many years ago, a railroad spur once traversed between the Laundry Building and the Bakery building. After the rail spur was abandoned, the old railroad ties were evidently used as structural support beams in the Laundry and are visible in the main level Laundry venue.
  • Steam Tunnel Green is a nod to the old large brick steam tunnel that runs under the Laundry Building and once served the building’s initial use as a steam plant.
  • The 2007 movie Death Sentence starring Kevin Bacon was filmed in Columbia with several scenes filmed in the Laundry Building.
  • The Laundry is the Avant Family’s latest adaptive reuse project, the family has earned recognition for its pivotal role in numerous recent award-winning historic restoration projects in Columbia. The Avant family has deep roots in Columbia and throughout South Carolina. Dan Avant, who retired from Edens & Avant many years ago, maintains a long-standing stock ownership position in the successor EDENS entity. EDENS boasts a leading real estate portfolio of over 100 open-air retail and mixed-use places in high-growth markets nationwide, including notable local holdings such as Trenholm Plaza and Cross Hill Market.