Darnall W. and Susan F. Boyd Foundation, Inc

Current Projects

Boyd Park At The Congaree Riverfront District

The Boyd Foundation has partnered with Guignard Associates, the City of Columbia, the University of South Carolina, Richland County and the USC Development Foundation to begin the planning process for the development of the Congaree Riverfront District. The District will encompass all of the land bounded by Senate Street to the North, Huger Street to the West, Blossom Street to the South and the Congaree River to the West, with the addition of additional riverfront land south of Blossom Street. Boyd Park will be constructed within the District on land to be donated to the City by Guignard Associates and the USC Development Foundation, most of which is in the floodplain or flood way of the Congaree River. The intention is to identify features and parameters that will provide for connectivity while also establishing a regional destination park that celebrates the natural features of the geography, honors the history of the area and also adheres to regulatory parameters guiding the park and surrounding private development.

The Park, along with the upcoming extension of Williams Street between Senate and Blossom, is expected to act as a catalyst, spurring development of the developable land East of Williams Street. The Boyd Foundation has pledged from $10-40 Million towards the construction of the Park. It is hoped that the creation of economic development activities within the District will encourage financial support from Richland County, the State of South Carolina and other sources.

Field Operations, a nationally know urban design and landscape architecture firm, has been hired by the City to develop a master plan for the Park, which is due to be completed by the end of 2026. A timeline for the actual construction of the Park depends upon funding, but construction is expected to be completed in phases as funding becomes available.

   

 

Boyd Foundation Main Street Lighting Project

The Boyd Foundation partnered with the Main Street District and the City of Columbia to design an outdoor lighting plan for Columbia’s Main Street.

Phase One of the plan will involve placing uplights and decorative lighted balls in the four historic oak trees on each corner of six intersections, from Laurel Street all the way down to the State House. In addition, bistro lights will be strung along both sides of Main Street, enhancing visibility and safety.

Phase Two will include uplights and decorative lighted balls in other significant trees between the intersections as well as uplights in the palmetto trees. The Foundation is underwriting the cost of this project, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

 

Boyd 12,000 Year History Park Visitor’s Center

The Boyd Foundation partnered with the City of Cayce and the River Alliance to begin construction of the Boyd 12,00 Year History Park Visitor’s Center. Site work is being paid for by the City of Cayce while all vertical construction is paid for by the Boyd Foundation. The Visitor’s Center is fully funded and approved for construction.

The History Park encompasses a unique archeological area in Cayce, South Carolina, where history and nature converge. Over the last 120 centuries, the area has had an array of inhabitants, including mammoths, Native American tribes, an early Colonial Fort, and Revolutionary War soldiers. The current trails in the History Park circle Six Mile Creek and earthworks still visible from an 1865 Civil War battle. The history of the Park is also explained in the many wayside exhibits created with the help of the South Carolina State Museum. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.

The Visitor’s Center will serve as a southern entry point to the Three Rivers Greenway and will focus on the History Park trails but will also include the entire Three Rivers Greenway System. The facility will include parking and visitor amenities, along with exhibits celebrating the history of the area.

 

Broad River Pedestrian Bridge

The Boyd Foundation’s Sanctuary at Boyd Island, completed in 2021, was part of Phase I of the Saluda Riverwalk project. Phase II will extend the Saluda Riverwalk up the Broad River and under I20 to a pedestrian bridge that will cross over the Broad River. The bridge will connect the Saluda Riverwalk with the Columbia Canal Riverwalk allowing hikers and bikers to connect from the Columbia Canal walk to the Saluda Riverwalk and, eventually, all the way to Lake Murray.

The Foundation has pledged up to $8.4 million for the construction of the bridge which is set to begin in late 2026 and is expected to be completed by early 2028.