The team behind new Columbia restaurant Smoked received an Honor Award at the 27th annual South Carolina Historic Preservation Awards on Wednesday, July 13, 2022. Governor McMaster presented the team with certificates in a ceremony at the South Carolina State House. Originally constructed in the mid-19th century, Smoked occupies the ground floor and basement of the buildings at 1639-1643 and 1645 Main Street. The project team includes the Middleton family, Garvin Design Group, Rogers Lewis, and Mashburn Construction.
Presented annually, the South Carolina Historic Preservation Awards are sponsored by Preservation South Carolina, the SC Department of Archives and History, and the Office of the Governor. Awards are presented in multiple categories. The Smoked team received the Honor Award in recognition of the project’s exceptional accomplishment in rehabilitating a facet of South Carolina’s architectural and cultural heritage.
“My brother, Greg Middleton, and I both have a passion for preservation: of nature, the environment, and of course, beautiful, historic buildings,” said Sara Middleton, the buildings’ co-owner and developer. “Amidst the dust, debris, run down walls, eroded floors, and countless leaks, we were able to see the buildings’ historic beauty and charm. The buildings are now home to the lively and colorful fine dining restaurant, SMOKED, and Peak Drift Brewing Co.’s first microbrewery. The second stories have been transformed into high-end, luxury, downtown apartments with windows that open up to Main Street, letting the building breathe in the fresh air and come alive once again.”
The Middleton family enlisted local firms Garvin Design Group, Rogers Lewis, and Mashburn Construction to help achieve their vision for the buildings. Leveraging federal, state, and local historic tax credits, the project team carefully restored the buildings’ cast iron columns, brick facades, distinctive storefronts, and window openings. Ground level spaces retain their beadboard, pressed tin, and plaster ceilings. Pressed tin ceilings in the dining areas were painted dark to minimize the visual impact of new mechanical and plumbing systems and enhance the sense of height. The oyster bar, dining room, and vestibules retain historic hard wood floors. New mosaic ceramic tile ornaments the foot of the oyster bar and in the recessed entryways. A prefabricated aluminum pergola on the rear patio mimics the gable roof of the adjacent rear addition. Operable roof fins enable selective closed cover for outdoor lounge seating.
“This award is quite an honor given the challenge of renovating three distinct historic buildings into a cohesive mixed-use development,” said Scott Garvin, President of Garvin Design Group. “Partnering with Rogers Lewis, Mashburn Construction, and the Middletons made it successful.”