Nearly 40 people turned out for CoMo Preservation’s 1st-anniversary gala on May 23 in the J.W. “Blind” Boone House. Dr. Clyde Ruffin filled in the crowd about the long and hard journey to bringing the Boone house back to its original splendor.

The evening concluded with a cake & wine gathering allowing people to enjoy birthday cake to celebrate the accomplishments of CoMo Preservation’s first year including incorporating and gaining its 501c3 status making donations tax deductible.

Ruffin outlined the history of the house once occupied by one of the most famous African-American musicians of his time. J.W. “Blind” Boone, 1864-1927, lived in the house from roughly 1889 until his death. Boone performed 8,400 concerts from 1880 to 1915, according to the National Register of Historic Places of 2003, which placed the house on the NRHP. “Accomplished in both classical and folk music forms, Boone was one of the earliest performers to meld European and African-American traditions to create what has been acknowledged as an early form of the first American musical style, ragtime,” the NRHP document states.

Used as a funeral home for decades, the building was purchased by the City of Columbia and renovated by the collaborative efforts of the City and the John Willian “Blind” Boone Heritage Foundation. Ruffin recalled the ups and downs of the 16-year process including moments when the success of the project was uncertain at best. The house was officially opened to the public in 2016.

The anniversary gathering was sponsored by CoMo Preservation, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing Columbia’s awareness and appreciation of the value and importance of historic properties, advocating to provide information to property owners about how to protect their property, and providing information on resources available to maintain historic buildings.

CoMo Preservation holds free, open-to-the-public monthly meetings where you can learn about various aspects of Columbia’s unique architectural history. In the future, CoMo Preservation will hold more celebrations like this one along with walking tours already in the planning.

Text by Dianna Borsi O’Brien, photographs courtesy of Tim Dollens.