Historic & Humanistic Restoration at Its Most Progressive

By Cathy H. Burroughs
Fashion & Culture Writer/Blogger

Columbia, SC’s newest and uber stylish boutique hotel The Lantern, and its inhouse moody and enticing Mediterranean-inspired bar/restaurant Ladder 13 with outdoor patio seating, is the latest addition to the capital city’s culturally and culinarily vibrant Vista District. It is in the prime downtown epicenter, just steps from the Governor’s Mansion, the State Capital, the Convention Center and the University of South Carolina campus. This newly opened hotel lights the way for this exceptional historic preservation of the city’s 70-year old, former 1949 Columbia Fire Department headquarters.

Visionary historic restoration as well as imaginative detail are the hallmarks of this project, conceived and carried out by the brilliant architectural firm Garvin Design Group. The group embued this ambitious undertaking with carefully thought out specific elements. These well-conceived items include acommissioned flagthemed tapestry suspended in the reception area as a homage to its heroic firefighters, practical solutions like resourceful tax credits and the highest level of restoration ingenuity, laced with haunting memorabilia, and both actual and re-fabricated firehouse must haves. Mashburn Construction did the actual build-out.

Embodying a posh mid-century modern decor profile with such unique essentials as customized walnut-linked wooden room dividers and hallway carpeting and wall textiles that evoke an abstraction of a street guide – perfectly suited to emergency vehicles’ rapid-fire routing, the lobby and guest room design are the brainchild of Resort Interiors. With its noble and humanistic mission, the 59-room hotel, on the corners of Park and Senate, comes fully-loaded with original regional art and firehouse artifacts galore as well as its high-minded, socially enlightened brief. This is to provide training, employment opportunities and professional development for students and graduates, alike, with both intellectual and developmental disabilities.

This esteemed educational program is organized in conjunction with the University of South Carolina’s College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management and the CarolinaLIFE program.

Inspired by its current general manager Rick Hayduk, this rare property combines training and development initiatives with its ingenious conservation package. All serve to illuminate the city’s forward thinking burgeoning hospitality skyline and conscious emphasis on historic preservation. This focal point has become an ever-expanding citywide priority.

The Lantern’s distinguished design and mission, conceived and carried out by Raines hotel management group, is brilliantly implemented by the awardwinning, Garvin Design Group, (most recently the 2024 Columbia Metropolitan Magazine’s “Best of Columbia – Commercial Architect”). The firm is celebrated for its specialty in historic preservation, hospitality and adaptive reuse of such buildings as mills and churches.

Utilizing its considerable savvy Garvin Design Group bolstered its preservation resources, parlaying the federal, state and city tax credits available for heritage projects. This genre of projects are among Raines hotel management, the owner, operator, developer, manager and investment company for The Lantern, stock-in-trade. In addition to this plum aspirational example, Raines’ esteemed 55 hotel portfolio includes other historic reinvigoration projects like the New Orleans’ Hotel Theo; Asheville, NC’s The Foundry and Florence, SC’s Hotel Florence for such global brands as Hyatt, Hilton and the Marriott.

David Tart, Raines managing partner feels this project represents the future of “intentional hospitality.” He says “We’ve taken a cherished local landmark and transformed it into a space that serves both guests and the community in truly remarkable ways.”

The resulting venue is rife with heart, soul and attentive warmth as well as regional original artwork, carved chess and checker sets, a fireplace element and plenty of nostalgic references to the buildings’ firehouse past. The sweepingly expansive lobby is highlighted with a duo of 20’ high floor-to-ceiling thrilling brass fire slide poles, requisite for any firehouse worth its salt.

The massive public gathering area hosts a living room within a living room and dining room, adjacent to another dining area, a breakfast bar and a cozy hearth. Its pristine spaces are infused with oatmeal, denim and smoky gray-hued, 50’s-inspired furnishings and original floors polished to a gleaming finish. The glass walls divide the sultry amber glow of the already hip-and-happening, hotspot that the in-house Ladder 13 speakeasy vibe emits, packed most evenings.

Ladder 13’s creatively handcrafted cocktails and spritzes, house-made pastas, wood-fired pizzas, small plates such as fluffy cheese, roasted beets, chicken, lamb shoulder, beef Kofta, Sicilian Caponata fish of the day, divine shrimp with Greek-almond sauce and more, including scrumptious heaping salad bowls have been thoughtfully dreamed up by James Beard Award nominee Chef Kevin Johnson.

His Lola Rose (Mt. Pleasant, SC) and The Grocery (downtown Charleston) have already put him on the map. The hotel’s popularity, too, is growing exponentially, and was sold-out the weekend after our stay.

The bar swivel seating backs are stitched with replicas of the firemen uniforms’ actual gold buttons and the walls are replete with archival photographs. These have been unearthed from the Columbia Fire Department Museum and the records of the Richland County Public Library’s State Newspaper Photograph Archive.

Pictured among the collection is one of the firemen ready for bed in their cots; a daredevil fire drill with a crew of men suspended from the tower’s multi-level fire escapes and a humorous fire drill where the men hold an inflatable rescue cushion to catch an actual clown, making a death-defying leap from a top window.

The public spaces, board meeting room and the three-building complex are all made up of the original firehouse (25 rooms and restaurant); engine house (31 rooms with large scale terrarium-like extensive workout gym), and, a jarringly jutting skyward tower building with original fire escapes (with 3 rooms and a 4 story suite with panoramic glass city views); all are embellished with fire station archival photographs and fire station themed artifacts.

This iconography of these original and functional components evoke the venue’s origins at every turn. The original fire engine bays and garage doors are preserved, opening to glorious patio dining alfresco in the warmer months.

The pet-friendly guest rooms, suites and private spaces may even rival the gravitas of the massive ground floor lobby: with original horizontal steel windows, Boll & Branch bedding on phenomenally comfortable mattresses, one -of-a-kind under bed up lighting, headboard brass firehouse reading fixtures, enormous spa bathroom with walk-in rainforest showers and top-of-the-line signature Guild amenities. There’s climate control, mini fridges, free high speed WIFI, work desks and many other custom and high-end extras.

Enjoy the excellent and spicy Tex Mex breakfast, avocado toast, egg, pesto and prosciutto sandwiches, a variety of tartines, smoked salmon, yogurt bowls and more offered with outstanding coffees in handmade ceramic mugs. There’s a lot to uncover in the surrounding hopping neighborhoods but it may be even more appealing to stay nestled in, retreating to the hotel’s really superb in-house restaurant and breakfast bar and snug comfort of its sofas and suites. You really never need to leave.

Quentin the assistant manager; Colin at the front desk; the other Colin, managing the well-oiled overnight, in-and-out valet service and the entire devoted and attentive team will take exceptional care of you as they did us.

The Lantern Hotel
Ladder 13 Restaurant & Bar
1001 Senate Street
Columbia, SC 29201
839-262-6400
info@lanterncolumbia.com

Led by Purpose
Lit by Kindness

Huge thanks go to Charlene D. Slaughter, APR, Director of Communications at Experience Columbia SC and heartfelt appreciation to all at Historic Columbia. Kudos go the outstanding hospitality, historic and humanistic Lantern Hotel Columbia SC team to include Meg Syms, Marketing Director & Preservation Consultant; Raines (developer); Kim Moons Interior Designer (Garvins Architecture Group); Resort Interiors (guest rooms and private spaces); Roger Lewis (historic tax credits), Mashburn Construction (general contractor), Ciara Laney (social media), CJ Arlotta (public relations), and others.

Cathy H. Burroughs is a noted travel writer and blogger. Some of her specialties include historic hotels, Southern cities and small towns, vintage Florida, the US West Coast, all over Europe, www.homeexchange.com and more. She has published widely including The New York Times international supplement and others.