COLUMBIA — Columbia Main Street's fourth annual Upstairs Downtown Tour recently welcomed visitors into six carefully restored spaces above the street level of the historic downtown square—spaces that many passersby never see but that represent the careful preservation work keeping the heart of Columbia alive.
The tour featured Studio Elevé and five other upstairs locations, each one a story of restoration and adaptive reuse. The event is more than a walkthrough; it's a statement about what downtown Columbia is becoming. While many American towns have watched their squares fade into emptiness, Columbia's square has remained vital, drawing people to businesses, churches, civic institutions, and now, increasingly, to artists and creative ventures who are reclaiming the upper floors.
The 1904 Maury County Courthouse still anchors the square, and the storefronts and studios around it tell the ongoing story of a community that values its past enough to invest in its future. The Upstairs Downtown Tour gives that work visible recognition. These restored spaces—some converted to studios, others to offices, others to apartments—show what's possible when downtown is seen not as a relic but as an asset.
The annual event has become a fixture on Columbia's calendar, drawing both residents curious about their own city and visitors interested in how Main Streets across the country are being revitalized. Each tour reinforces a simple truth: the character of a place matters, and the people willing to invest in preserving and restoring it shape what their community becomes.