The Big Apple, Columbia

The Big Apple in Columbia, South Carolina, is a building with a split personality-and both lives are fascinating. Originally constructed between 1907 and 1910 as the House of Peace Synagogue at 1318 Park Street, the two-story wooden structure served as a place of worship for the Beth Shalom Congregation for nearly three decades. With its distinctive architectural features-like a recessed domed ceiling, horseshoe-arched windows, and a raised brick foundation-it reflected the spiritual and cultural life of Columbia’s early Jewish community.

However, in 1935, the congregation outgrew the space and sold the building with one very specific condition: it could never again be used as a synagogue. Challenge accepted. By 1936, the space had transformed into the Big Apple Club, one of South Carolina’s most vibrant African-American nightspots. It was here, amid jazz and social rhythms, that the dance craze known as the "Big Apple" was born. University of South Carolina students would sneak peeks at the moves inside the club, and the phenomenon soon hit national stages, including a performance in New York in 1937 by 23 dancers from Columbia.

After the dance floor cleared and the music faded, the building went through a quiet spell-used for business, then left vacant for a time. In the 1980s, it was relocated to the corner of Hampton and Park Streets. In 1993, the Historic Columbia Foundation acquired and carefully restored the building, reviving its iconic features and giving it new life as an event venue. Today, it is a favorite spot for weddings, art performances, and special gatherings, continuing its tradition as a place of community, celebration, and culture.

Despite its shifting roles-from synagogue to nightclub to cultural venue-the Big Apple remains a Columbia landmark, embodying the layered and unexpected stories that define the city’s rich history.