COLUMBIA, S.C. — One of Columbia's larger churches has laid the groundwork for possible expansion with the purchase of an the former AMC theater along Forest Drive.
NAI Columbia, a commercial real estate firm, said it helped Shandon Baptist Church buy the former AMC Classic Columbia 10 theater site at 5320 Forest Drive, near Fort Jackson. The church already owns the adjacent 25+ acres at 5250 Forest Drive, where the church sits.
While there are no set plans for the approximately 6.89 acre addition, the church committees involved in the sale are considering possible opportunities for the property.
“One of the golden rules in commercial real estate, and one that often still gets overlooked, is to always contact the adjacent property owners," said Patrick Palmer, CCIM, a Principal with NAI Columbia and Director of the Carolina Shopping Center Strategists Team. "We are thrilled to walk away from this deal knowing that our client was able to achieve a positive outcome for a building that had narrow reuse potential. We look forward to watching Shandon transform the property as they grow their community and grow their home.”
The theater was opened in 1996 as the Wynnsong Theater, and in 2016 was bought out by AMC. In 2022, however, it shut down permanently.
After 85 years, Shandon Baptist Church relocated to its current Forest Drive location from its first home at the corner of Woodrow and Preston streets in 1995 to accommodate its growing congregation.
No sale price was listed for the AMC property, but according to Richland County 2023 tax assessment, the total taxable value of the land and structure was $3,287,400. The multi-screen theater closed in September 2022.