COLUMBIA, S.C. — The headquarters building that has stood at Fort Jackson outside Columbia since 1941 will soon come down.
Fort officials said the wooden, World War II-era building could be demolished as soon as October.
According to Colonel Mark Shade, Fort Jackson's deputy commanding officer, the Army's Installation Management Command "wants to get out of World War II wood buildings."
"They are inefficient. They are not up to code. They are cold in the winter and hot in the summer," Shade said.
Fort officials said the military's Directorate of Public Works reviewed the criteria for the headquarters to be listed as a historic building and determined it did not meet those qualifications.
The State newspaper reported that post records show there have been about $487,000 worth of renovations done to the headquarters, most of which were architectural changes done in 1985.
"The building was quaint, historical but totally inadequate to serve as a post headquarters for the commanding general," retired Colonel Angelo Perri, who served in the building from 1970 to 1972, said. "We used to say the only thing holding it up was the termites holding hands."
The command staff will be relocated to a newer, 41,700-square-foot building that has housed the non-commissioned officers' academy.
While there are no plans for a replacement yet, fort officials said the site will be used for a green space and amphitheater, which will be used for family-related events. Shade said the amphitheater and green space will be linked with the Basic Combat Training Museum across the street.
