University of South Carolina

Longstreet Theater, built as College Hall in 1855, is a landmark for not only the University of South Carolina, but for the City of Columbia as well. The fact that the building has survived with so much of its original fabric intact is a testament to the university’s stewardship for 170 years. A recent restoration of the building’s exterior, led by Meadors Conservation, has helped prepare the building for the next 170 years. The project placed a premium on conserving historic fabric, using state-of-the-art technology, restoring missing or damaged elements, documenting changes to the building, including up to 24 layers of paint, and correcting some of the inappropriate changes to the building over time, including reproducing the original configuration of the circular casement window in the pediment over the building’s front portico.

Longstreet Theater has benefitted by the long-term commitment to its maintenance and for its very sensitive and comprehensive recent conservation and restoration.