Logan Elementary School
South CarolinaTo restore an early twentieth century school into a twenty first century school was a daunting and expensive task for Richland School District One. The Boudreaux Group, local architects hired by the School District, solved space, preservation and technology issues through a creative and comprehensive design process. The design team worked closely with the School District, future Principal, local Landmarks Board, South Carolina Department of Archives and History and the Elmwood Park Neighborhood Association. Another obstacle for the School District was the land that Logan occupies. By established state standards, an elementary school must own at least 7 acres to operate. Logan actually sits on 4 acres and is completely surrounded by historic structures protected by local landmark regulations. The School District had to appeal to the State Department of Education for a variance to allow for Logan to be re-established in its original location.
The location of Logan School also posed a unique challenge. Elmwood Avenue, the wide boulevard on which the school sits, is one of the busiest traffic arteries in the city. The property and the playground had to be completely guarded from traffic utilizing a historical brick and iron fence. Logan`s restoration dramatically increased neighborhood property values and inspired more residential renovations. Now, the community and the City of Columbia look to Logan as a source of preservation inspiration and many local people participate in the day-to-day operations of the school, including Foster Grandmothers, and student teachers from local Colleges and Universities as well as local churches.
Situated in the designated historic district of Elmwood Park, Logan Elementary School, now fully restored, inspires over 400 children a day to learn. In 1911 a group of citizens from Elmwood Park and Arsenal Hill neighborhoods petitioned the Board of Commissioners of the City of Columbia`s public schools to seek a public school for their neighborhood. The land and $40,000.00 were donated to the City of Columbia from the Logan estate in 1912. This was the first show of community support for public schools in the history of Columbia. Construction of the first phase was completed in December 1913 with several additions constructed over the next thirty to forty years.
Elmwood Park, the first suburb to be annexed into the City of Columbia, has a history that dates back to 1839, before it was residential. The State Agricultural Society occupied the land until 1903 and intense residential development began in 1907 along Park and Lincoln Streets. The earliest residents of the neighborhood were tradesmen, such as grocers, salesman and clerks, but the largest employer was the railroad.
In the late sixties, Elmwood Park and Logan Elementary both fell into disrepair. The majority of the population of Columbia moved from the city center to the lure of new homes in the suburbs. There were fewer children downtown and Logan was not needed as a neighborhood school anymore. It wasn`t until an enthusiastic preservation movement in the early 1980`s that the neighborhood revived and Logan became a focal point. The Elmwood Park Neighborhood Association, following in the steps of their predecessors, petitioned Richland County School District One to restore Logan back to its former glory and make it the neighborhood school once again. The community also nominated Logan to the National Register of Historic Places as well as the City of Columbia`s Local Landmarks list to underscore the facility`s importance. Although the cost would be more prohibitive than a new school, the District supported the restoration and Logan Elementary School re-opened its doors in December 1999, eighty-six years to the month from the original opening.
The key design goal was to restore the building to its 1913 condition. Although the program required a gymnasium addition, the architects carefully located it within the existing courtyard to avoid any impact to the exterior. This also preserved the original design intent from 1913, which was to locate an assembly space within the courtyard. A much-needed elevator was installed within an existing stairwell for the same reason. The original carriage way entrances were also restored to become the new "front" doors for students and parents.
Logan Elementary is proof that city neighborhoods still want schools within walking distance of their homes and that older school buildings can be restored to accommodate current needs and technology. Columbia lost many older buildings during the Civil War, but local preservationists are trying to save the historic fabric that remains. Logan was recognized by Historic Columbia Foundation for a Preservation/Restoration Award in 1999.
Logan Elementary School is truly a modern, high-tech, neighborhood school that anchors the surrounding community. The Logan children and the neighborhood are extremely proud of their school and the heritage that it represents.
For more information contact:
Scott Garvin, AIA, Principal
The Bordreaux Group
803/799-0247
Raymond Perkins
Director of Facilities Construction
Richland County School District One
803/733-6000
