CoMo Brick & Mortar Project
The CoMo Brick & Mortar Project is a collaborative public history initiative of CoMo Preservation and The District that reveals the stories embedded in Columbia’s historic buildings. Through QR-coded window clings, residents and visitors can discover the architecture, history, and people that shaped our community-inspiring a deeper connection to place and encouraging appreciation, preservation, and stewardship of Columbia's architectural heritage.
Project Goals
The CoMo Brick & Mortar Project connects people with the places that shape Columbia's identity by sharing the stories behind our historic downtown buildings. Through partnerships with students, scholars, preservationists, property owners, local historians, cultural institutions, and downtown organizations, the project makes local history more accessible while fostering research, collaboration, and community engagement.
The project aims to:
Make Downtown Columbia's historic buildings and districts more accessible and meaningful to residents and visitors.
Connect students and scholars with opportunities to research, document, and share Columbia's architectural history.
Promote historic preservation by demonstrating the cultural, educational, and economic value of existing buildings.
Encourage walking tours, local tourism, and support for downtown businesses through architectural storytelling.
Support property owners in sharing the history of their buildings.
Foster partnerships that preserve, celebrate, and strengthen Columbia's architectural heritage.
Why Historic Buildings Matter
Historic buildings offer some of the most visible windows into our past. Streets, homes, and storefronts reveal how communities lived, worked, and imagined their future. In Downtown Columbia, buildings such as the Herald Building (c. 1892) reflect broader stories of urban development, economic growth, and the evolving relationship between the university and the community.
As the city changes, many historic structures are altered or lost before their histories are fully documented or remembered. By researching and sharing these stories, the CoMo Brick & Mortar Project helps preserve the historical significance of downtown Columbia and connect the community with the places that shape its identity.
By uncovering and sharing these stories, the CoMo Brick & Mortar Project helps ensure that Columbia’s historic buildings continue to inform, inspire, and connect our community.
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Thank you to the many people who bring the CoMo Brick & Mortar Project to life...
Co-Editors: Matt Fetterly & Michael Limmer
Researchers and Writers: Alex Insley & Sam Mersevey
CoMo Preservation Volunteers
Student Interns through Partners in Education, Columbia Public Schools
Our Friends at The District
CoMo Preservation gratefully acknowledges the City of Columbia Office of Cultural Affairs for providing partial funding for this project.
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Become a Contributor
CoMo Brick & Mortar is a community-driven project. We welcome participation from residents, students, historians, teachers, building owners, etc.
Nominate a building to be featured in the project
Get students involved in research and local history
Volunteer as a researcher or writer
Share stories, photos, or memories connected to featured buildings
Help fund the project with a donation ♥
Contact us at CoMoPreservation@gmail.com.
