Guardians of history hope it repeats itself, in a manner of speaking, at the former State Hospital campus in downtown Columbia.

On a mission to preserve the Babcock Building and other important structures on the campus, the historical enthusiasts face one key question: Will economics act as their friend or foe?

In other examples in Columbia — notably the Olympia and Granby Mills, the 701 Whaley center and the Publix in the Vista — it was their ally.

However, those who work to safeguard historically significant buildings hold that it is not a zero-sum game, that profit and protection are not mutually exclusive; and, in fact, that the latter can increase the former.

Michael Bedenbaugh, director of the Palmetto Trust for Historic Preservation, in front of the Babcock Building on the grounds of the former State Hospital campus in Columbia. Photo by Jonathan Sharpe

“I think there can be benefits from a couple of different angles,” deputy state historic preservation officer Elizabeth Johnson says.

Alas, there is nothing, well, written in stone that such will be the case with the old State Hospital complex.

Sprawling across 180-plus acres along Bull Street, the campus perseveres mostly idle, a quiet, sleepy semblance of its former centuries-long role as a bustling home to many South Carolinians suffering from mental illness.

In the more recent past, the S.C. Department of Mental Health transferred most patients at the campus to other facilities. Now, at the prompting of Gov. Mark Sanford, the department is selling the site.

The Central Carolina Community Foundation coordinated a redevelopment plan for it. With input from the city, historic preservationists and other stakeholders, renowned new urbanism designer Andres Duany of Miami crafted the blueprint. It calls for a pedestrian-friendly mixed-use community.

But that vision is a long way from becoming reality.

Among other variables, no one seems to know how much money the campus might fetch.

“It is a challenge,” Mental Health general counsel Mark Binkley says of getting a fair price for it, “and the range is really wide in terms of people speculating.”

The issue could put the agency on a collision course with the Palmetto Trust for Historic Preservation and other parties dedicated to saving important elements of the past.

Or not.

It just depends, to a large degree on economics but also on whether whoever buys the campus is sensitive to its historic nature and willing to work to retain it.

“I believe that these buildings tell an important story about Columbia’s history,” says City Councilwoman Belinda Gergel, a former chairwoman of the Historic Columbia Foundation board, “and I am very interested in taking every step available to us to make sure that they are a vital part of the development of this important property.”

With a goal of securing the highest price it can, Mental Health has tapped the local NAI Avant commercial real estate firm to broker the campus. “We would prefer to sell it to a single developer,” Binkley says.

He says that would be the quickest way for the agency to get its money and get out of the way.

As for the historically valuable buildings on the property, Binkley expresses sensitivity and deference to their importance but says their fate ultimately falls to the buyer. At the same time, he says the matter is not lost on NAI Avant.

Palmetto Trust director Michael Bedenbaugh says certain developers across the country specialize in adaptive reuse, or rehabilitating historic buildings for modern purposes. “This is what they do,” Bedenbaugh says, “They look for projects like this. All we’re saying is, give that an opportunity to work.”

Johnson, who works at the S.C. Department of Archives and History, says that one of the benefits of adaptive reuse is an appeal historic structures offer that can be marketed. “And then there can also be the more tangible benefits in terms of incentives for historic preservation,” she says.

Those can be had in the form of state and federal tax credits.

“I think they [Mental Health] should look very closely at the value added that these historic buildings can bring,” Johnson says.

Says Bedenbaugh, “When traditions and history are respected in a community, quality of life is better. And these structures, when used properly, can become icons of inspiration. To us it’s not only about some architectural symbol. It’s about saving icons of community involvement.”

He sees important architecture as art. “And that is why it’s irreplaceable when it’s gone.”

If that’s true, it’s a good thing there aren’t any shovel-ready demolition projects for the State Hospital campus.