Milestone year for Historic Columbus

When the campaign began in earnest to preserve and restore the irreplaceable but badly deteriorated Springer Opera House, there was no such organization as Historic Columbus.

It became an official entity in 1966, after a successful effort to save what is now the State Theater of Georgia from imminent demolition.

Now, in its semicentennial year, it oversees 11 designated historic districts that include some 2,500 individual historic properties.

Numbers like those represent lots of reasons to celebrate the organization’s first half-century, and Historic Columbus will be doing just that — but in ways a lot more significant than a cake with 50 candles.

Oh, there will be celebratory events, to be sure, starting Thursday evening with a “50th Anniversary Founders Day” to be held, appropriately enough, at the Springer; and ending with a Golden Jubilee in November featuring distinguished broadcast journalist and author Tom Brokaw.

But the significance of the moment isn’t just about Historic Columbus celebrating its first 50 years so much as looking toward the next 50 and beyond.

The Board of Historic Columbus has begun an ambitious $10 million capital campaign for acquisition and preservation of more historic sites. Appropriately named “Save Me A Place,” the campaign is co-chaired by two of the Historic Columbus Foundation’s ablest and most experienced leaders, both former HCF executive directors: Janice Biggers, a co-founder of the organization, and Virginia Peebles, who led the organization for 13 years.

Among the campaign’s many projects are more local history education programs in schools, more interest-free loan funds for private restoration in historic areas, acquisition planning resources, and the stabilizing of the two buildings of the old City Mills, part of the Industrial Riverfront National Landmark District.

Although we tend to think of the revitalization of the Columbus city center as attributable mostly to business and the downtown growth of Columbus State University, former HCF director Peebles makes a point that’s perhaps easy to overlook: The way to stem flight from cities and neighborhoods is for people to have good reasons for staying there.

“I think if Historic Columbus hadn’t restored our Historic District,” Peebles said, “we really wouldn’t see the vitality and entertainment that we have downtown now.”

Point taken.

Success stories

If there’s an inspiring example of somebody overcoming daunting obstacles to achieve amazing things through smarts, dedication and hard work, it’s Dr. Robert L. Wright of Columbus.

Wright is famously generous, not just with his wealth but also with his time and civic spirit. One manifestation of that is the Bob Wright Symposium on Business Empowerment, which he began last year.

There will be an encore this year, and again some of the most distinguished business executives and CEOs will be on hand as panelists.

Register at www.bwsbe.com.

This story was originally published May 24, 2016 at 5:17 PM with the headline "Milestone year for Historic Columbus."