by Holley Owings and Tripp Muldrow
Ms. Brenda McGriff along with school alumni and a representative of the Richland County Recreation District welcomed the Earth Design team to Pine Grove School in Columbia, SC on February 27, 2024. Situated within the Pine Grove Community in Richland County and restored in 2006, the Pine Grove School now serves as a learning center for Rosenwald Schools. Built in 1923, the Pine Grove School is a wood-frame, one-story building with a V-crimp tin metal roof, showcasing characteristic elements of Rosenwald school architecture aimed at providing proper ventilation and natural lighting.
The school, the last extant Rosenwald School in Richland County, closed its doors in 1953 due to school consolidation efforts. However, through collaborative funding efforts, including support from the South Carolina Community Competitive Grant Program, Richland County Conservation Commission, and the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Preservation Fund, the school was restored to its original configuration in 2006. Recognized with a National Register designation in 2009, the Pine Grove School now serves as a historic community gathering place and offers educational programming focused on the history of African American education in South Carolina.
