Honored to share that the Lantern Hotel Columbia has been named a Preservation Award winner in the Preservation, Rehabilitation, or Restoration category by @historiccolumbia . ✨
Originally constructed between 1949 and 1951 as Columbia’s Central Fire Station, the property has been thoughtfully restored into Lantern Hotel Columbia while preserving many of its historic character defining elements and bringing new life to the Vista district.
A huge thank you to the teams who helped bring this vision to life:
✨ Raines Company - Property Owner
✨ Garvin Design Group - Architect
✨ Mashburn Construction - Contractor
✨ Rogers Lewis Group - Preservation Consultant
Thank you to Historic Columbia for this recognition. 🤍
📸 Historic image from the South Caroliniana Library, University of South Carolina, Columbia, S.C.
Long before cocktails, conversations, and celebrations filled this space, 1643 Main Street was already part of Columbia’s story. ✨
Did you know? Before becoming Smoked, this historic @mainstcolasc building was once known as the Ehrlich Building, originally owned by Michael Ehrlich and home to M. Ehrlich & Sons.
Today, we continue giving the space new life while honoring the character and history that came before us. Because preservation isn’t just about saving a building — it’s about making sure the feeling attached to it lives on through every experience and memory created within these walls. 🤍
We’re proud recipients of the 2022 Historic Preservation Honor Award, Historic Columbia Preservation Award, Columbia Chamber Golden Nail Award, and The Governor’s Preservation Award — something that would not have been possible without the efforts of @garvindesigngroup & @historiccolumbia . ✨
Happy National Preservation Month. 🥂
Photo credit | Smoked today: @dresslerphoto
Historic Columbia’s annual Preservation Awards are on Thursday, May 14, and we can’t wait to celebrate the 2026 honorees. As we look forward to a bright future for preservation in Columbia, we’re reflecting on our first 10 Preservation Award-winning projects, which included some iconic Columbia landmarks.
Come celebrate excellence in local preservation with us tomorrow night! Tickets here: /preservation-awards
We are excited to welcome two summer interns to our firm: Emma Grace Connelly and Ellie Spicer! We’re thrilled to have Emma Grace back for her third internship with GDG and to welcome Ellie for her first summer with us.
#Architecture #Interiors #Team #StudioCulture #Internship
Quick, what’s your favorite architectural term? And what does it mean?
A little Friday fun in the studio produced a whole list of design vocabulary words.
What’s your favorite architectural term?
#architecture #design #interiors #team #studio
Constructed ca. 1872 as Miller Brothers Cotton Warehouse, the City Market building at 705 Gervais Street is part of Columbia’s industrial, transportation, and commercial history. Whereas other buildings on the 700 block of Gervais Street catered to passengers on the nearby rail line, the building at 705 Gervais Street performed a crucial function as a warehouse for the large quantities of cotton, produce, and equipment that came through Columbia throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. 705 Gervais Street’s diagonal foundation was specifically designed to fit between two adjacent, diagonally running rail lines.
Warehouse buildings like City Market became commonplace in Columbia’s railroad district on the northwest side of the city as cotton and textile suppliers sought to position their wares as close to the rail tracks as possible. The building at 705 Gervais Street housed myriad tenants throughout its history, including wholesale grocer Norris Cooner Company, C.C. Pearce & Co. Wholesale Fruit & Produce, Mann Electric Supply Company, and City Market Antiques. The railroads that once bounded the property to the east and west were moved in the 1980s, leaving City Market’s diagonal footprint as the only visual marker of the railroad’s crucial influence on Columbia’s urban development in that area of the city. With the removal of the railroad and the significant alteration of once similar, contemporaneous buildings nearby, City Market is a rare, enduring example of the railroad’s influence on building design and construction in Columbia’s Vista commercial district.
Adaptive reuse of City Market in 2015 leveraged federal, state, and local historic tax credits to create a vibrant mixed-use hub for living and dining in the Vista. Today, the City Market building houses Steel Hands Vista Distilling & Brewing and City Market Place, an event venue.
#SavingPlaces #PreservationMonth #HistoricPreservation
Built to inspire. ✨ We’re proud to showcase the completed new sanctuary at Village Church in Blythewood, South Carolina — a space thoughtfully designed by @garvindesigngroup and constructed to support worship, community, and connection for years to come. From the welcoming gathering spaces to the beautiful sanctuary itself, this project was a true team effort, and we’re grateful to have partnered with @villagechurchsc and the design team to help bring their vision to life.
#ContractConstruction #VillageChurch #BlythewoodSC #ConstructionExcellence #BuiltWithPurpose
At the Olympia Armory, the past is ever-present.
Originally constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the Olympia Armory has continually served the South Carolina State Guard since its dedication in 1937. But it also served the surrounding mill village and the Columbia community as a venue for athletic events, public health screenings, concerts, and dances. In 2025, Garvin Design Group and Solid Structures helped the South Carolina State Guard undertake a comprehensive rehabilitation that will enable the building to serve as a community gathering space once again.
The building’s character-defining drill hall volume, barrel-vaulted ceiling, expansive steel casement windows, and once-infilled stage opening have been carefully restored. Modern finishes in the offices and restrooms make the building more comfortable for modern use, while integrating seamlessly with surviving historic fabric.
More about this preservation project and others on our website.
#SavingPlaces #PreservationMonth #HistoricPreservation
Warm neutrals contribute to the sense of welcome in the Entry Hall at Village Church. Interior designer, Drew walks us through a few of her favorite materials, sharing how each element was intentionally chosen and thoughtfully woven throughout the space. Learn more about this project at the link in our bio.
#architecture #design #interiordesign
Preserving the past, welcoming the future ✨
It’s #NationalHistoricPreservationMonth, and we’re celebrating with History Behind the Build, a series where @garvindesigngroup , one of the teams behind Lantern Hotel Columbia, takes us behind the stories, spaces, and history that inspired the hotel’s design and brings its past to life in a modern way.
Hear from the amazing Kim Moon, Interior Designer at Garvin Design Group, as she shares the stories behind a few of the pieces you’ll find in our lobby.
📸 Original images sourced from the South Caroliniana Library, University of South Carolina, Columbia, S.C. and The State Newspaper Photograph Archive, courtesy of Richland Library, Columbia, S.C.
