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Welcome to the Neighborhood!

We might be biased, but we think that West Columbia is the best place in the Midlands to call home.


Photo by: Candace Nelms

Our community is right on the Congaree River and the West Columbia Riverwalk is just steps away from our front door. We’re located along State Street where you’ll find the best dining anywhere around from Al’s Upstairs to Black Rooster, Terra, and Café Strudel. We’re also a short walk from Columbia’s Historic District, the South Carolina State House, and Main Street.

One of the biggest community events, the Gervais Street Bridge Dinner, is in our front yard on the Gervais Street Bridge—it’s river living at its finest to be able to walk to and from this dinner each year!

We’re excited to be welcoming four new businesses to our community this fall and into next year. These businesses are all places that we know our residents are going to love having in our neighborhood.

  • Black Rooster – located in our community, Black Rooster is Chef Kristian Neimi’s newest creation and we love the rooftop bar views over the river, the Gervais Street Bridge, and downtown Columbia.
  • Primal Gourmet – their meal plan packs ensure that you eat well throughout the week no matter how busy you are or what type of food you enjoy eating.
  • WECO Biergarten – the owner of The Whig in downtown Columbia is bringing a bottle shop / biergarten to Meeting Street and we can’t wait to enjoy a craft beer with them!
  • Savage Craft Ale Works – if there’s one thing we love, it’s a local brewery! We love that they’re renovating an old firehouse to create their space.

 

What additional businesses would you love to see come to West Columbia and Cayce? We’d love to know!

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A Celebration of Art in West Columbia

Have you noticed the construction happening along Meeting Street behind the restaurants on State Street? The City of West Columbia has been busy pulling together something special for our community to enjoy: an Interactive Art Park!

This has been a collaborative effort of West Columbia City Council, local artists, local business owners on State Street, the South Carolina Municipal Association Hometown Economic Development Grant, and the Central Carolina Community Foundation Connected Communities Grant to bring a much-needed refresh to State Street.

Now, you’ll find a bright, colorful alleyway to the left of Terra that will take you from the front side of State Street to the public parking behind the restaurants. The newly paved parking lot provides plenty of parking for our community and neighbors to use as they enjoy the shopping and dining along State Street. There are several murals and sculptures that everyone can enjoy, too!

Artists involved in this project include:

  • Colleen Otte (See Me… On State Street Wall & Frames)
  • Karl R. Larsen (Big Lonely Doug Mural)
  • Christine Lufty (State of Mind Mural & Alleyway on State)
  • Eileen Blyth (Hand Drums sculpture)
  • Jarod Chrazewski (Conversation Station, Call to Venet, Glockenspiel, Saluda Rest Stop, Tolerance, and Ellipse Harp)
  • Andrew White (Rocket Queen)

The City of West Columbia held the official ribbon cutting for the West Columbia Interactive Art Park on Wednesday, September 4.

On Saturday, September 14, the City of West Columbia is adding another fun element to this park: The West Columbia Meeting Street Artisan Market! The official Ribbon Cutting and Grand Opening will happen on September 14th at 9am and the market will remain open until 1pm.

We love all of the fun things coming to #WeCO! Make plans to head over to the new Interactive Art Park and West Columbia Meeting Street Artisan Market this Saturday morning.

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Staying Cool in Town This Summer

If there’s one thing that Columbia is known for, it’s the famously hot days that roll into town for the summer months. How do you stay cool around town? We have rounded up our favorite ways to beat the heat this summer:

Take a dip in our pool.

The quickest way to cool off this summer? Jump into our pool! Spend an afternoon floating in our pool with a good book that you picked up at Richland Library or simply relaxing in the shade. Our pool is open daily for you to enjoy!
Check out the local museums.
Now is a great time of year to visit one of our award-winning local museums. The Columbia Museum of Art  is recently renovated and has special events all summer long that you can enjoy. Their collection was reorganized earlier this year to be displayed thematically, meaning that you can see how different artists across different eras and continents have focused on common ideas.
If you haven’t been to the South Carolina State Museum lately, plan a trip there this summer. It’s family friendly (perfect place to take family visiting from out of town!) and has a great exhibit on local area rivers called “Reflection on the River”. The best time to check out the State Museum? On Tuesday nights! The museum stays open until 10pm and you can get two tickets into the museum for just $10 after 5pm.
Visit the Richland Library.
Richland Library is an exciting place to be during the summer! Not only can you escape the heat inside with their air conditioning, but you can shop the weekly farmers market, attend a workshop, listen in to a 1 Million Cups presentation, and even learn to sew.
Spend the evening on the rooftop.
Catch an incredible sunset from our rooftop over West Columbia, and once the sun sets, enjoy the cooler temperatures as you grill out with your friends and neighbors. Our rooftop has ample seating for everyone and views that cannot be beat.
See a play at a local theatre or a movie at The Nick.
Duck inside a local theatre like Trustus Theatre to catch a live theatrical performance of Heathers, The Musical or reserve a seat at The Nick to see midweek matinee. The Nick’s upcoming screenings include favorites The Little Rascals and Field of Dreams and several series including a Foreign Focus series, a Road to Woodstock series, and a Nick After Hours series.
How are you spending your days this summer?
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Vote for Us!

Each spring, Free Times rounds up the best of the best all around town in categories from Local Media, Politics, and City Life to Places to Live, Food & Drink, and Shopping. They gather nominations from their readers for a month before finalizing the list to the top contenders in each category.
We are honored to have been nominated this year for Best Apartment Community!
Our team strives to make Brookland a wonderful place to live. From the meticulously designed, modern floor plans to the events that we invite each resident to participate in, we work towards providing our residents with the very best in our community. This nomination means so much to us—it means that we have been providing you, our resident, with exactly what you’ve been looking for in a place to live!
If you have a moment, we would be sincerely grateful for your vote: http://bestofcolumbia.com
You can also vote for many of your other favorite businesses and people around town. Our neighbors on State Street are up for nominations as well:
Best Restaurant in West Columbia / Cayce – Terra
Best Restaurant in West Columbia / Cayce – Cafe Strudel
Best Chef – Mike Davis, Terra
Best Service – Terra
Best Brunch – Cafe Strudel
Congratulations to everyone who was nominated! We can’t wait to find out who wins in August!
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Celebrate The Season

Happy December to our residents!
It’s a magical time of the year in the capital city, and we know that you’re excited to embrace and celebrate the season with your family and friends. Cheer can be found in the air everywhere that you look. From the twinkling lights that adorn our town to the holiday music playing in the shops on State Street, you don’t have to try hard to find bright holiday spirits.

How do you celebrate the season in Columbia? Here are a few of our favorite ways to enjoy the holidays:

Holiday Lights on the River at Saluda Shoals Park
Take a drive out to Irmo to Saluda Shoals Park where you can drive through over a million twinkling lights and
see over 400 animated light displays throughout the park. There are plenty of activities for the whole family to
enjoy from roasting marshmallows to visiting Santa.

A Starry Night in Five Points on December 7
You’ve seen the trees lit up in the Vista and at the State House, but now’s the time to head to Five Point for
their annual Tree Lighting and kick off to the Five Points Association holiday season. Shops through your
favorite local boutiques as they offer extended hours and sales for you to enjoy.

Arthritis Foundation Jingle Bell Run in Cayce on December 8
If you love to run or walk 5Ks, you love the Timmerman Trail, and you love to support good causes, you can
sign up to participate in a fun holiday 5K in Cayce! The Jingle Bell Run raises money for the National Arthritis
Foundation and takes place along the Timmerman Trail where you’ll find runners decked out in ugly Christmas
sweaters, reindeer antlers, and jingle bells.

Lights Before Christmas at Riverbanks Zoo
Is it even the holiday season without a visit to Columbia’s Riverbanks Zoo for an enchanting evening under
twinkling lights? Meet up with your friends for an evening stroll around the zoo where you can soak in the
sights and sounds of the season as you take in the animated animal light displays, watch the animated story
tree as it plays popular Christmas favorites, and watch Chapin Theater Company perform holiday-themed
skits. There’s so much to do that you’ll want to visit a few times this season!

We hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday season and that it’s full of family, friends, and plenty of cheer!

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Dining on the Bridge

Close up of Brookland branded cup filled with blue cocktail sitting on a table.

People gathered on a Gervais Street bridge at Sunset for party

Have you ever dined with 1,400 of your neighbors on your city’s most iconic bridge at sunset on a gorgeous fall evening?

 

If you have, you must have been at this year’s Gervais Street Bridge Dinner on Sunday, October 21. It was an absolutely beautiful fall evening to gather on the bridge with our community for drinks, entertainment, and a family-style dinner.
Close up of Brookland branded cup filled with blue cocktail sitting on a table. Spread of food in white bowl with pasta, salami, olives, and tomatoes on a table with plates

 

We started off the evening with a gathering outside of our community on the corner of Gervais Street and Alexander Street. Our residents and guests enjoyed live music by Jon Rooks, a specialty cocktail, and appetizers to munch on before walking a few steps down the road to the entrance to the Gervais Street Bridge Dinner. It was a great way for us to get to socialize with everyone—both those attending the dinner and those who just wanted to enjoy a wonderful fall afternoon outside.
Thank you board for sponsors of Gervais Street Bridge Party including Estates & Companies, nephron, the state.com, and Motor Supply Bistro
The dinner itself was spectacular! The bridge was shut down all day long in preparation and we eagerly watched as the space transformed into a magnificent dinner party. Delicious handcrafted cocktails flowed, local craft beers from Columbia Craft Brewing were poured, and Columbia’s Roller Derby team skated around delivering hors d’oeuvres from Southern Way Catering. There were even sweets from Ally & Eloise Bake Shop and a coffee bar to enjoy.

 

Our favorite part of the whole evening? It was just a short walk for our residents to go from their home down to the festivities. Nobody had to worry about driving, finding parking, or getting home too late on a Sunday evening.

 

If you missed the Gervais Street Bridge Dinner this year, we hope you make plans to attend next year! Be on the lookout for ticket sales early next summer—tickets this year sold out in just a few minutes. It’s one event that you don’t want to miss!
Congaree River at sunset during Gervais Street Bridge Party
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Help Us Celebrate the Gervais Street Bridge Dinner!

Aerial view of Gervais Street Bridge in West Columbia, SC

What’s more picturesque than a gorgeous, cool fall evening on the Gervais Street Bridge at sunset with 1,000 of your Columbia neighbors?

Aerial view of Gervais Street Bridge in West Columbia, SC

Photo by Soda City.
 
The 3rd Annual Gervais Street Bridge Dinner is right around the corner, and here at Brookland, we’re thrilled to not only be a sponsor of this year’s event but to be hosting our own pre-party prior to the beginning of the official festivities on the bridge. For our residents, this event is right outside of our front doors and we’re excited that our community has the opportunity to be in the middle of all of the excitement.
The Gervais Street Bridge Dinner, now in it’s third year, is a wonderful community event that has quickly become the place to be in Columbia on the 3rd Sunday of October. It’s a seated dinner for 1,000 complete with an exemplary meal catered by Southern Way Catering, specialty cocktails, live music & entertainment, and views over the Congaree River that are unbeatable. The Gervais Street Bridge closes down early Sunday morning to traffic and the set up begins: tables, chairs, plates, glasses, silverware, table decor, and more.
People sitting on Gervais Street Bridge having dinner to celebrating it’s opening
Photo by COLAtoday.
 
Tickets to the dinner are a hot commodity each year and this year, the tickets sold out in less than an hour after opening to the public for sale. The Gervais Street Bridge Dinner is more than a fantastic community event. All of the proceeds from the event go to benefit several local charities. This year, the benefitting charities are:
and
If you’re planning to attend the dinner—and even if you’re not—make plans to attend our pre-party at Brookland. Join us on Sunday, October 21, from 2-4pm to get the Gervais Street Bridge Dinner fun started. We’ll have the blue carpet rolled out to welcome you, a signature drink for you to sip on, and a DJ providing entertainment. Our photographer will be set up to take a photo of you and your friends in front of the Gervais Street Bridge and we’ll have party favors for each guest.
Afterwards, for those lucky enough to have tickets to the dinner, walk right on over to the Gervais Street Bridge for an unforgettable evening in Columbia. We hope to see everyone on October 21!
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From Football to Festivals

Welcome to September, Brookland residents!

Although summer is coming to an end, fall is just around the corner, and with fall comes all kinds of activities and events to enjoy around Columbia. September is filled with must-do events around town—we’ve gathered some of our favorites that we think you should check out. On the list? Sporting events, an Oktoberfest, lots of live music, and some of Columbia’s favorite festivals.

Gamecock Home Football Games


Photo by @gamecockfb.

September kicks off—literally—with the beginning of college football season! The Gamecocks begin the season with three straight home games before hitting the road at the end of the month. If you’ve never been to a game before (and even if you’ve been to them all!) we suggest attending at least one this September.

USC vs Coastal Carolina – September 1 – 12pm
USC vs UGA – September 8 – 3:30pm
USC vs Marshall – September 15 – 7:30pm

First Thursday on Main
September 6
Each month, Columbia’s Main Street celebrates the beginning of a new month with their First Thursday on Main event. Stores are open later, restaurants and bars offer a variety of drink specials, and you can find live music outside everywhere that you look. Stop in to check out the Mark Rapp Group at Hotel Trundle, dine al fresco at Cantina 76, and grab a glass of wine at Lula Drake to round out the evening.

For more information, visit their website.

3rd Annual Bierkeller Oktoberfest
September 15 12pm until 8pm


Photo by @figcolumbia.

Everyone’s favorite pop-up brewery is hosting their 3rd Annual Bierkeller Oktoberfest  at Riverfront Park this September. Just across the Congaree River from Brookland, you’ll get a chance to sip on Bierkeller’s traditional German-styled beers in a biergarten that’ll make you feel like you’ve left Columbia and have gone to Europe.

32nd Annual Columbia Greek Festival
September 20 – 23 at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral

Enjoy the lively Greek atmosphere this year at the Greek Festival along with live music, entertainment, and delicious food and drink. Learn more about this year’s event on their website.

A Saturday of Free Festivals
September 29
With three incredible festivals going on on the same day at the same time, how do you choose? You don’t! You make a plan to hit all three for one Saturday filled with plenty of great art, food, music, and fun.

Rosewood Art Festival  11am – 7pm
Start your day off in Rosewood with this art festival that celebrates the Southern arts and culture scene.

11th Annual Palmetto Peanut Boil  11am – 5pm
From Rosewood, head over to Devine Street and sample some of the best boiled peanuts the Midlands has to offer!

Jam Room Music Festival   12pm – 10pm
End your day of festivals downtown on Main Street with the Jam Room Music Festival—they have over a dozen artists lined up for a day and evening full of awesome local music.

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Moving Into Brookland & to West Columbia

This past month has been a big month at Brookland and in West Columbia! Have you seen and heard of all of the new things that have arrived and have been announced?

We welcomed our first residents into Building One at the end of July and throughout the beginning of August. We’re so happy to have them here! We’ve loved seeing our residents enjoying their new homes, walking down to the West Columbia Riverwalk, and dining out on State Street. It’s a wonderful time to live in West Columbia and we know that our residents are making the most out of the location of their new home.

Are you interested in moving to Brookland this fall? We have a couple of homes left in our Building One and would love to give you a tour! You can stop by our Management Office from 9am until 6pm Monday through Thursday, 9am until 5pm on Fridays, 10am until 6pm on Saturdays, and 1pm until 5pm on Sundays. You can also give us a call at 803-851-5999 to schedule a tour.

We’re thrilled to share that local Columbia chef and restauranteur Kristian Niemi, owner of Bourbon on Main Street, is opening up a new restaurant and rooftop bar in our Building One later this year. The new restaurant will be called Black Rooster and will be a French-inspired restaurant, inspired by French brasseries and bistros. You can follow along our Instagram (@brookland_sc) or Black Rooster’s Instagram (@blackroostersc) for updates as construction progresses and as we get closer to an opening date.


Image from Black Rooster.

We can’t wait for the incredible food paired with the unparalleled sunset views over the Gervais Street Bridge, the Congaree River, and downtown Columbia. We know that you’ll love the rooftop bar, too!

Black Rooster isn’t the only new establishment to announce plans for a location in West Columbia. Savage Craft Ale Works (@savagecraftaleworks), a new craft brewery, just announced plans to open up their brewery and taproom at 430 Center Street. Just a block off of State Street behind Café Strudel, this new brewery is less than a quarter of a mile walk up the street. It’s going to be a great addition to the neighborhood!

Photo by Savage Craft Ale Works / Studio 2LR.

There are so many great things coming to West Columbia—it’s a wonderful time to call this side of the Gervais Street Bridge home!

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Move to Brookland this Fall!

Wow, it’s been a busy summer for us at Brookland!
Our linear park running down the side of State Street has been completed, our first residents moved in, plenty of great new restaurants and businesses announced they were opening up shop in West Columbia, and each day we see more and more progress happening throughout our property. It’s an exciting time to be here.

If you’re hoping to move in with us at Brookland, now’s the time to come and see us! Our first building, Building One, is completely full and does not have any availability. However, we have a second building that has homes available to lease for move in later this fall.

Building Two, located in the heart of our community, has some great homes available to lease. We’re offering hard hat tours to perspective residents who would like to take a closer look at some of the floor plans that are available in this building. With studio, one bedroom, and two bedroom floor plans, there is a home that is perfect for you and your current lifestyle.

Plus, the views from Building Two are pretty incredible!Have you considered making Brookland your home this fall? We would love to talk with you more about all of the great amenities that our community offers, the wonderful local shops and restaurants that are within walking distance, and all of the ways that you can take advantage of living right along the Congaree River.

Come see us today!