News
And the Winners are...
Five Columbia Choice awards, co-sponsored by Columbia Green and the city's Tree and Appearance Foundation, were awarded on Sept. 25 at the Big Apple on Hampton Street. Receiving these awards were:
- The Hilton Columbia Center Hotel for New Construction/Site Development
- St. Timothy's Episcopal Church for Renovation/Reuse of an existing project
- King's Grant Homeowners Association for Site Beautification Management
- The Lutheran Theological southern Seminary for Neighborhood/Community landscaping
- Heathwood Hall Episcopal School in the Education category
The Hilton Columbia Center hotel is located in the center of our city's historic entertainment and financial district, and its developers obviously worked hard to make it as aesthetically pleasing as possible. Creative designs with interweaving containers, annual beds and shrubs are used to frame a circular entrance to the hotel. The well-coordinated color palette continues along both sides of the building, fronting the main intersection of Senate and Park Streets. The interesting uses of colorful and varied annuals are repeated in the center courtyard, giving a warm and welcoming atmosphere both inside and outside this hotel.
While also a downtown project, St. Timothy's Episcopal Church's congregation had a different landscaping project in mind when they created a "Quiet Garden" where its members could find time to pause, reflect and enjoy nature. As one of only two recognized "quiet gardens" in all of South Caroline, and one of the 260 official quiet gardens worldwide, this beautiful little garden sits quietly near the Governor's Mansion. The congregation took a previously neglected and sparsely-planted area and transformed it into a beautiful garden with benches, a splashing fountain, birdfeeders, flowers, frees and other plants. The garden is welcoming and inviting yet peaceful and serene. King's Grant Homeowners Association last year redesigned and renovated the entranceway and median of King's Grant Drive. New trees and shrubs were planted and a beautiful fountain was added in front of the gates. Annuals are changed several times a year to reflect he current growing season. There is a strong commitment by the association to maintain these common areas, creating a beautiful oasis in the midst of a fairly-commercialized district. The entranceway is enjoyed not only by residents and visitors but also by those driving past King's Grant to enter Fort Jackson.
The Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary received its Columbia Choice Award for landscaping that was done around its newest student housing project. The apartment-style housing at the school features buildings that are scaled down to effect a smooth transition between the larger campus buildings and the surrounding modest, single-family homes. The landscaping is sensitively designed and well-maintained, softening what could seem to be an overwhelming presence without the plantings. The new area also features a children's play area and community outdoor cooking area. 
Heathwood Hall demonstrated that not all learning needs to take place within the classroom walls. The private school designed a native garden with three goals in mind: researching water conservation issues, educating the school community, and enhancing the campus grounds. The garden is part of a "No Child Left Inside" initiative, attempting to reconnect our youth with nature. The garden is located in median plants of the Heathwood's middle school parking lot. With a grant from Palmetto Pride, students help install 100 feet of a split rail fence and more than 400 plants during the 2007-2008 school year. The garden is beginning to fill in with a combination of woody plants, perennials and grasses. Birth baths and feeders round out this new habitat. 