In the short time I have lived in Cayce and Columbia, I have witnessed the demolition of some beautiful historical buildings.  The house on the corner of Huger and Blossom, five historic Mill Houses in the Brookland neighborhood.  And I have seen the construction of more blocky buildings that look alike, that seem sterile and cold to me. 

We are sacrificing what is unique, humble, beautiful, and distinctive for sleek buildings and uses that look all the same.  We are losing our character, our personality, our soul.  In Cayce, old-growth timbers have been chopped down in favor of construction. If hurts my eyes and heart to see it every day on my way to and from work.

As I look around the community, I hope that we will cherish and maintain the beauty, warmth, soul, and history, so that we can maintain our distinctiveness.  Let us repurpose what is here, breathe new life into old structures, rather than tear them down and start anew, seemingly erasing our character history.

It may not be fashionable, or more to the point, lucrative, but in the end, creativity and resourcefulness might yield the best results for our community.  Look to the State Museum, housed in our Old Mill, to the warehouses that are now workspaces and eateries.   Great future homes for community purposes, to be enjoyed by new generations.  The old buildings tell stories.  They can share these tales with the past, alongside the new.  Let’s keep these stories of the past that they may intermingle with the present.