KWOS Jefferson City News Authority
Columbia’s city manager is excited about future potential uses for the historic McKinney building downtown, which is on East Broadway between Second Missionary Baptist Church and Plaza Tire Service.
City manager De’Carlon Seewood says a 15-member task force will make recommendations on the building’s future use.
“We bought this building because of the history and it’s about kind of showing a reflection of Columbia’s history. One of the things that we know is that there’s all these desires about what to do with the building. There’s some people (that) want it to be just a museum, some people want it to be a community center. Some people want us to have an activity so we can bring back concerts and bands,” Mr. Seewood says.
Columbia’s city council voted to establish the task force earlier this month. The council approved the $1.7 million purchase of the building in August. Mayor Barbara Buffaloe says the McKinney building has commemorated the social, educational, religious and civic life of Columbia’s African-American population for decades. Count Basie performed in that building years ago. African-American bricklayer Frank McKinney helped build the home, which cost about $5,000 at the time. The McKinney building opened in 1918.
Mr. Seewood says the task force will make recommendations on the building’s future use.
“It’s really taking a step back and pulling together a task force that really can have the community input and ask people what do we want to see. And help us design what makes sense. And from there we’ll be able to design something that will be phenomenal for our community,” says Seewood.
The building’s ground floor has also hosted numerous shops over the years, including the Broadway drug store, the People’s drug store, the W.B. Smith Hatchery, and Foster’s Schwinn bicycles.
