New apartments coming to downtown Columbia in historic, mid-century modern building

A Columbia office building that has sat vacant for at least five years will soon be turned into the first apartments on the 1800 block of Main Street

Located at 1813 Main St., the building will feature 28 to 30 market rate units aimed at attracting “young professionals and empty nesters who want to live in an urban environment,” according to a press release from Cason Development Group, one of the developers behind the project.

The renovated building will also include retail space.

Built in 1961, the historic Klondike Building once housed federal government offices. It was designed by Lafaye, Fair and Lafaye, the same architectural firm behind the former Tapp’s Department Store on Main Street.

The developers want to restore the building to its original mid-century modern appearance and plan to use Federal and State Historic Tax Credits, the State Abandoned Building Tax Credit and the Bailey Bill — a state law that grants special tax assessments to rehabilitated historic properties.

The project is expected to be completed by Spring 2022.