Museum district economic analysis

Client: South Carolina State Museum Category: Urban Design, Community Planning, Economic Development

In 2018, The South Carolina State Museum board took the initiative to think deeply about the future of the museum property and its surrounding area as a potential “Cultural Campus” providing growth opportunities for local business, tourism, and community assets. With this visionary mindset, SC State Museum retained the services of PGAV to develop a vision for this district, capitalizing on the economic impacts of the existing Museum to create a robust, thriving neighborhood.

Our work in Columbia, South Carolina included articulating a new identity for the neighborhood as a “Cultural Campus”, identifying potential uses for adjacent land and existing buildings, depictions of potential developments, and an intense economic analysis of these options. Building on the notion that public outdoor space would help to both bring more tourism to the area, and be a benefit to the residents of Columbia, the work not only helped to visualize the potential assets, but to understand the economic impacts of potential development plans and understand both the positive community impacts and the associated economic benefits.

Excited and energized by the concept and financial impacts, the South Carolina State Museum was then positioned to work together under a unified, collaborative vision with Columbia’s leaders and citizens towards shaping the future of the City of Columbia.

In 2020, PGAV was retained again to investigate potential development financing options to bring some of the Master Plan elements to fruition, investigating potential financing options for the reuse of the Museum Building.