WALES
GARDEN
neighborhood
Some of Columbia’s prettiest streets, grandest houses and loveliest gardens can be found in Wales Garden, a neighborhood adjacent to Five Points and the University of South Carolina.
The first two lots in what became Wales Garden were purchased in December 1915, and the neighborhood was developed from then through the early 1940s. It remains a stable, popular neighborhood that’s home to university employees, students, lawyers, bankers, artists, and downtown professionals. Saluda Avenue is the main thoroughfare in the neighborhood, a gentle incline that runs from Five Points to the neighborhood border at Heyward Street. A wide, grassy median planted with towering magnolias and cedar trees and filled with flowering azaleas separates the two lanes of Saluda Avenue.
WALES GARDEN
neighborhood
Some of Columbia’s prettiest streets, grandest houses and loveliest gardens can be found in Wales Garden, a neighborhood adjacent to Five Points and the University of South Carolina.
The first two lots in what became Wales Garden were purchased in December 1915, and the neighborhood was developed from then through the early 1940s. It remains a stable, popular neighborhood that’s home to university employees, students, lawyers, bankers, artists, and downtown professionals. Saluda Avenue is the main thoroughfare in the neighborhood, a gentle incline that runs from Five Points to the neighborhood border at Heyward Street. A wide, grassy median planted with towering magnolias and cedar trees and filled with flowering azaleas separates the two lanes of Saluda Avenue.
RECREATION & PARKS
Wales Garden is adjacent to Maxcy Gregg Park, a city park with a creekside trail and a formal garden that runs between the neighborhood and Five Points. Maxcy Gregg also has a public pool that offers recreational swimming and swim lessons from May through August. The neighborhood is home to the City of Columbia’s Tennis Center on Whaley Street, which offers individual and group lessons for all levels of players. It features 14 lighted courts – nine hard and five clay – that are home to tournaments, recreational play, day camps, and league play. All of the streets are shaded by a thick canopy of trees, cooling the Columbia heat and making for a pleasant walk to Five Points for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. One of Columbia’s Designated Landmark Structures is the small, raised fountain that sits at the end of Myrtle Court, near the border between Wales Garden and the Wheeler Hill neighborhood. Cars – and plenty of bicyclists, runners, and walkers – circle around the fountain (and more than one dog has jumped in to cool off on a summer day).
what’s in a name?
Wales Garden was named for Edwin Wales Robertson, a prominent businessman and member of the board of the City Development Co. in the early 20th century. Eighty acres of what would become Wales Garden was deeded to the City Development Co. in 1912, and Robertson gave his middle name for the development.
FUN FACT
Edwin Wales Robertson also was president of the Columbia Electric Street Railway, Light & Power Company. In 1915, he made sure the city’s trolley service came to Wales Garden, running tracks up Saluda Avenue as far as Heyward Street. Residents rode the trolley to downtown until 1936 when buses replaced streetcars in Columbia. Wales Garden was designated a Columbia Architectural Conservation District in 2008.
RECREATION & PARKS
Wales Garden is adjacent to Maxcy Gregg Park, a city park with a creekside trail and a formal garden that runs between the neighborhood and Five Points. Maxcy Gregg also has a public pool that offers recreational swimming and swim lessons from May through August. The neighborhood is home to the City of Columbia’s Tennis Center on Whaley Street, which offers individual and group lessons for all levels of players. It features 14 lighted courts – nine hard and five clay – that are home to tournaments, recreational play, day camps, and league play. All of the streets are shaded by a thick canopy of trees, cooling the Columbia heat and making for a pleasant walk to Five Points for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. One of Columbia’s Designated Landmark Structures is the small, raised fountain that sits at the end of Myrtle Court, near the border between Wales Garden and the Wheeler Hill neighborhood. Cars – and plenty of bicyclists, runners, and walkers – circle around the fountain (and more than one dog has jumped in to cool off on a summer day).
FUN FACT
Edwin Wales Robertson also was president of the Columbia Electric Street Railway, Light & Power Company. In 1915, he made sure the city’s trolley service came to Wales Garden, running tracks up Saluda Avenue as far as Heyward Street. Residents rode the trolley to downtown until 1936 when buses replaced streetcars in Columbia. Wales Garden was designated a Columbia Architectural Conservation District in 2008.
what’s in a name?
Wales Garden was named for Edwin Wales Robertson, a prominent businessman and member of the board of the City Development Co. in the early 20th century. Eighty acres of what would become Wales Garden was deeded to the City Development Co. in 1912, and Robertson gave his middle name for the development.
HOME STATS
The lower end of Saluda near Five Points is home to duplexes and small apartment buildings rented by college students and young professionals, while the upper end of the street is home to some of Columbia’s finest homes, including two Spanish colonials (one of which is on the National Register of Historic Places). The neighborhood is home to a wide variety of architectural styles, with a graceful blending of Georgian, Tudor revival, American Foursquare, bungalows, and other traditional styles of homes. The homes on Saluda and Edisto avenues are on large lots, set back a bit from the roads, while the homes on the charming, narrow side streets are closed to the street and to each other.
HOME STATS
The lower end of Saluda near Five Points is home to duplexes and small apartment buildings rented by college students and young professionals, while the upper end of the street is home to some of Columbia’s finest homes, including two Spanish colonials (one of which is on the National Register of Historic Places). The neighborhood is home to a wide variety of architectural styles, with a graceful blending of Georgian, Tudor revival, American Foursquare, bungalows, and other traditional styles of homes. The homes on Saluda and Edisto avenues are on large lots, set back a bit from the roads, while the homes on the charming, narrow side streets are closed to the street and to each other.
0
Homes for Sale
25
New Listings
24
Homes Sold
$410,354
Average Sales Price
33
Days on Market
96.47%
List Price to Sales Price Ratio
These numbers are provided by CMLS and collected by The Moore Company for 2022. They were updated on January 24, 2022. The information contained herein is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
0
Homes for Sale
25
New Listings
24
Homes Sold
$410,354
Average Sales Price
33
Days on Market
96.47%
List Price to Sales Price Ratio
These numbers are provided by CMLS and collected by The Moore Company for 2022. They were updated on January 24, 2022. The information contained herein is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
NEARBY
AMENITIES
RESTAURANTS & MORE
DiPrato’s Delicatessen on Pickens Street is part of the Wales Garden neighborhood and is a popular spot for lunch, weekend brunch, and take-out delicacies (don’t miss the pimento cheese and pita chips). Right down the street is Five Points which is home to dozens of restaurants, bars, and coffee shops.
NEIGHBORHOODS SCHOOLS
Wales Garden children attend A.C. Moore Elementary, Hand Middle, and Dreher High schools in Richland School District One.
NEED GROCERIES?
A Food Lion grocery store is in Five Points, and several others are a short drive away, including Publix and Rosewood Market on Rosewood Drive, Piggly Wiggly on Devine Street and Whole Foods in Cross Hill Market. Along with Five Points, nearby Devine Street is home to upscale boutiques and a variety of restaurants.
NEARBY
AMENITIES
RESTAURANTS & MORE
DiPrato’s Delicatessen on Pickens Street is part of the Wales Garden neighborhood and is a popular spot for lunch, weekend brunch, and take-out delicacies (don’t miss the pimento cheese and pita chips). Right down the street is Five Points which is home to dozens of restaurants, bars, and coffee shops.
NEIGHBORHOODS SCHOOLS
Wales Garden children attend A.C. Moore Elementary, Hand Middle, and Dreher High schools in Richland School District One.
NEED GROCERIES?
A Food Lion grocery store is in Five Points, and several others are a short drive away, including Publix and Rosewood Market on Rosewood Drive, Piggly Wiggly on Devine Street and Whole Foods in Cross Hill Market. Along with Five Points, nearby Devine Street is home to upscale boutiques and a variety of restaurants.
EXPLORE THE AREA
The neighborhood is bordered by Maxcy Gregg Park, Pickens, Harden, and Heyward Streets. This historic, quaint area is tucked away amid the University and Five points.
LINKS
EXPLORE THE AREA
The neighborhood is off of Garner’s Ferry Road, close to shopping and dining, and easily accessible from Interstate 77, the highway that runs from Columbia to Charlotte.
LINKS