For Their Mutual Benefit

This book focuses on successfully rehabilitated historic buildings in Columbia, South Carolina. These projects were undertaken between 1976 and 2013 by private developers in conjunction with public support. The examples of adaptive use that are provided vary due to their unique locations as well as conditions in the years that they occurred. Public support included financial incentives and guidelines offered by federal, state, regional, and local governments and professional guidance provided by the staff of government agencies and non-profit organizations. These collaborative projects were considered successes by both the public and their private developers, though they often came about after some compromise. The cases presented are representative of similar projects completed in cities throughout the United States. These examples demonstrate how public-private collaborations can be mutually beneficial for communities and developers across the nation.