 So excited to be here with you today. So excited to have so many of our citizens and guests to the city as well for this historic occasion. Over the last few months, the city's been blessed with a series of opportunities to talk about the enormous growth and incredible progress of the Bull Street development. It was just a few years ago, in spring of 13, at the city's sign development agreement. In January of 15, we began working on the site with groundbreaking. In just a short amount of time, we find ourselves well ahead of schedule with the team at Hughes Development on a 20-year build-up plan. The district is already home to an array of local and national businesses, including the REI Co-op and Cap Gemini. Bull Street contains 125,000 square feet of commercial office and retail spaces, zoned up to 3.3 million square feet of commercial use, which is more than all of downtown Greenville. And 3,558 residential units, seven construction crews currently on site in this amazing development, the largest of its kind in any downtown east of the Mississippi. Home to Segra Park, baseball digest stadium of the decade and home to the Columbia Fireflies. Building after building, announcement after announcement. A promise to preserve five historic buildings on site, 10 have been preserved in the process of being restored and adapted to be reused in a way that's authentic and showing what Columbia is made of. Planned West Lawn Building, retail the first class A office-based building, maybe the one of the largest of its kind, made of sustainable cross-laminated timber. Iron Hill Brewery, and of course, just over here to our side, the Planned University of South Carolina Health Sciences Complex, Bull Street has arrived. And I say this because it's so important that so often so many people tell us what we can't do in Columbia, South Carolina. And time and time and again, we've proven them wrong. We tell them what we're built of, we show them what we're built of, what we're made of and we succeed. I'm so excited for this wonderful partnership between citizens who care, who care about historic preservation, who care about preserving our beautiful tree canopy, who care about opening up underground streams so we could share in the riparian beauty of Columbia, who care about the authenticity of connected streets and neighborhood, who care about our history, our collective history, working closely with wonderful business leaders from our chamber, wonderful developers, like the Hughes Development Company and working with our city council, our city council and our city leaders and I will tell you the very best staff that we could ever hope for. I get around the country a lot and I meet with administrators and politicians a little bit everywhere and I will tell you that our team, I see you back there, Gregory, I'm not sure who else I see here, but Gregory Tucker, every time we walk through this place, someone tries to steal Gregory and take him back with him, we tell him that's not possible. We actually have to put an ankle bracelet on him so you can't get it but so far. But it's amazing the team that we've had working side by side and the wonderful public-private partnership to make sure that this development is so important to the long-term future and viability of Columbia gets done and gets done right. We're way ahead of schedule and this will be a game changer for posterity, for history, for this community. Of all the announcements that we have to make no urban development, no matter how expansive, accomplished, or revenue-generating, it can become, I think it's complete without a true dedication of green space. Green space represents the public domain, the common area that we all share where people of every background, every race, creed, color, every economic background have a chance to enjoy the public space in a way in which I think is uniquely defined. So we're proud to stand here today on this beautiful sunny, famously hot Columbia day and dedicate the newest component of this expansive Bull Street Development Project, Paige Ellington Park. I know that some people who are a lot more talented than I am are gonna get into the history of Mr. Ellington. I'm gonna tell you a whole lot about why we chose Mr. Ellington to recognize the history, the blood, the sweat, and tears of not only the Paige Ellington, but of men like Hilliard Bell, Ms. Patterson, you and your family here to represent that family, how the blood, sweat, and tears of so many Colombians, of so many different backgrounds, how the proud African seed and the American son is being edified and lifted up here today as a part, a central part of our collective story. We've been able to do it time and time again over the last several weeks as we unveiled an amazing series of public art projects. Again, using arts, using culture, using the public domain as an opportunity to bring people together, to bring people together in the world that desperately needs it. We do it time and again here in Columbia, South Carolina, I believe better than anyone else anywhere. Paige Ellington was born in North Carolina, joined the University of South Carolina, joined the University of South Carolina Professor Richard T. Greener, the first African-American graduate of Harvard University and the first black professor at USC as a member of the Columbia Board of Health in 1875. He ran for city council. He ran for city council and that's so important, I know, to people like Sam and Tamika and Ed and I and several others starting in this generation with Lutha Bates and E.W. Cromarty who served as an election manager in World Four. And I say that it's important this week as many of you may know, this weekend we lost Frank Washington who filed a lawsuit in the late 70s that changed our city council, opened it up again to citizens of color for the very first time. We have to understand that we constantly live history, that we are the link that binds several generations and it's our job, obviously it's not only to preserve history but to work together to present a brighter future for each and every one of us. Ms. Ellington ran for city council, served as election manager in Ward Four. His home still stands in the Arsenal Hill community. His contemporaries recognized his skill as both builder and self-taught architect. The state newspaper detailed Mr. Ellington's close partnership with Dr. James W. Babcock whose name has from more than a century adorned the building that now serves as the symbol of the Bull Street development. And so it said and so Paige Ellington has assisted Dr. Babcock with all of the new buildings at the state hospital, ensuring the unique and signature design of the historic structures on the site, it's exciting day to be here. And again, I'm a big believer that these moments can not only be reprative but also restorative. They help to restore our soul, they help to bring us together as a community and we need to do it every single opportunity we can. When it's time to celebrate, we need to celebrate being together, being one great Columbia. It's my pleasure to give to you my friend, city councilman, Ed McDowell. What an exciting day it is for us to gather on these hallowed grounds to celebrate a life that contributed so much to this city of ours. I do want to say a word just before, before I say let me make, just say a word about some persons. I want to thank our mayor, Robert Hughes, Hughes Development, thank you all so much for being an avid partner of ours. Our ACM, Henry Simon, we want to thank our fellow colleagues on council that listened and of course unanimously voted to say yes to Ellington Park. Several months ago, we ensued and gathered together to talk about their naming of this park and of course it was a part of that committee. I served as chair, Howard Duvall, if you would stand Howard. I think he can, yes. Sam Davis, would you stand Sam? You stand in, yeah, he's standing, yeah. I'm just kidding now. These two persons along with myself, we engaged in conversation and we found out during that conversation, we needed to talk to some other persons because there were an array of names and we wanted to make sure we did justice. So we called on two of our friends, Robin Waits. Robin, would you stand? I want you to stand. And of course Dr. Bobby Donaldson. They helped us tremendously to vet folk, to gather names, to help us to understand the necessity and the kinds of things that persons had already given to this community. They were able to do that and of course we unanimously voted that Paige Ellenton's name be lifted up, our council unanimously voted yes. Now I could stand here and give you a long historical soliloquy about brother Paige Ellenton but I'm gonna let Dr. Bobby Donaldson do that. I think the mayor took some of Dr. Donaldson's steam but knowing Dr. Donaldson, he has a lot more to say. Thank you all for being in the Bull Street District today. Thank you all for allowing us and parks and recreation. Beautiful, isn't it? Now if you were in church, you'd say, hey man, isn't this beautiful? This is beautiful. Now let the ushers come forward and take the offering. Thank you all so much for being here. May God bless each of you and may his face shine upon all of us as our city continues to expand itself and the quality of life expands itself with the Ellenton Park. Thank you all so much. Thank you very much, Trevor McDowell and Mayor Benjamin. This is a monumental day, not just for Bull Street but really for all of Columbia. When we set out as Hughes Development to develop Bull Street, we knew it had to be a place that represented the best of Columbia and that is exactly what naming the park at Bull Street after Paige Ellenton represents, the best of Columbia. Mr. Ellenton was someone who persevered and became a true community leader and role model, both professionally and personally. Hughes Development and the Bull Street District are proud to play a very small part in honoring Mr. Ellenton and his family with this dedication. On a site where so much sadness and so many tears have been shed throughout its history, today is truly an inspiring and uplifting day. Getting to this point has taken a tremendous amount of hard work. From the planners and designers I see here today, to the contractors and the engineers, so many different people have played a major role in the success that we're experiencing today but really it's a story of public-private partnerships. Public-private partnerships, as the Mayor mentioned, are not easy but when both sides are pulling in the same direction and towards a common goal, things like today can happen. That's what's happening here and it wouldn't be possible without the dedication of so many at the city and it starts with City Council. Mayor Benjamin, Reverend McDowell, Councilman Davis, Councilwoman Devine, Councilman Duvall and other Council members not here today, without them none of this would be possible. But we also must mention the city staff because so many people as the Mayor mentioned at the city, Teresa Wilson and her team, which I know Assistant City Manager Henry Simons will speak momentarily, they have made this what it is today and we would not be here without them. So an extra special thank you to them today. Ellington Park, I like that, I'm a little hard trying to hold my papers in the wind and clap but I appreciate that. Ellington Park is going to be a destination for the Midlands. It's already a place where families are coming out to play and residents from all over the city are enjoying the walking trails and dog park. I'm convinced that someone has paid the man over y'all's shoulder to come out here and fly a kite today or the folks in the dog park because it's just too good. I know it's not true though because this happens every day out here already and is only going to continue. One of the most interesting attributes of the park is the daylighting of the Smith Branch Creek. The Smith Branch Creek which runs directly over my left shoulder all the way down through the entire length of the park came to focus really for us when a reporter from the New York Times visited Bull Street in 2019 to write a story about the development. He keyed in on the development and the daylighting of the park as one of a kind. What we were able to do by leaving the existing pipes in place in the ground which the stream had been running through for really for about the past 50 years while allowing the stream to flow on the surface was something that we're told has never been done before. This park is one of a kind. So to us it only makes sense that it's named after a one of a kind individual like Mr. Paige Ellington. So thank you again to the city of Columbia for making today happen. We are humbled, honored and proud to be a part of today's celebration. With that I'll introduce Assistant City Manager Henry Simons. Thank you. Good afternoon, my name is Henry Simons. I am the Assistant City Manager for operations of course for the city of Columbia. Thank you so much Robert for your comments and your continued involvement in the development of Paige Ellington Park as well as the Bull Street District. Thank you of course to our mayor Steve Benjamin our council members who are present with us today. I also want to acknowledge our city manager, Theresa Wilson for her continued leadership and guidance throughout this process. You know being able to provide a place where citizens can enjoy recreation means a lot to the city of Columbia. We are excited about Paige Ellington Park and extremely grateful to see how nicely things have come together. This again confirms our commitment to the citizens of this community and the desire that we have with this to be a destination to relax, to experience the outdoors. With the amount of green space within this park we anxiously anticipate requests for outdoor weddings, picnics family reunions, movies in the parks and more. We also have plans for additional amenities to include a playground and a pickle court specifically for Councilman Duvall. We are proud of the cities of Columbia's latest addition in this park. We will continue to work hard to improve the quality of life for this community and across our entire city. We feel strongly that providing a park of this magnitude allows families to come together, to rest and relax while their children enjoy the activities that these amenities provide and for this we're grateful for this day. Again, special thanks to our mayor, our entire council, also the mayor mentioned Gregory Tucker, which is our special projects administrator for the city of Columbia. He's done a wonderful job shepherding this process. So thank you so much, Gregory. He's been the liaison between the Hughes Development Corporation and the city of Columbia. Special thanks to our parks and recreation team for their leadership. Also picking up our schematic design images that you see blowing off the tables behind us. Thank you all so much for all the work that you have done throughout this process. I also wanna thank our parks and recreation foundation board members for their support. And again, a huge thank you to the Hughes Development Corporation. We are grateful for this time. We're grateful that all of you decided to be here with us on this day. Now at this time, we'll have our executive director for Historic Columbia, Robin Waits to provide some additional remarks. Robin. I appreciate the opportunity to be with y'all today, but also to work with Dr. Donaldson on this project. Over the last year, we researched and documented many black Colombians associated with this property to form the recommendations for today's naming. And of course, Paige Ellington, who Mayor Benjamin has talked a little bit about, but Dr. Donaldson will tell you more about is it's really important to recognize his work and his contributions. I wanna give you a little bit of a frame, a book in for Mr. Ellington. So I think it's important to recognize that there were many who came before and after him. And these stories also need to be brought to the fore. So parts of this campus were built on the plantation lands of Colonel William Wallace. Samuel Thompson was one of many families enslaved by Wallace and a generation of Thompson's children were born enslaved on this plantation. They went on to prominent careers during the reconstruction era. Of those individuals born enslaved here, Samuel Benjamin Thompson was one of four delegates from Richland County elected to the 1868 Constitutional Convention, served four terms in the South Carolina House of Representatives, was very active in local government and served here on this campus on the board of regents for the state asylum in 1872. His brother, E.B. Thompson, was a founder at St. Luke's Episcopal Church. He was an organizer of the city's Emancipation Day and also a steward at the asylum for much of reconstruction. And their sister, Caroline Thompson Alston, was one of the city's first black business women. The building that her business occupied still stands at 1811 Gervais Street today. Alonzo MacLennan, he was the ward of E.B. Thompson and was, as I mentioned, the steward of the asylum and lived on this property during much of the reconstruction era. MacLennan spent part of his youth on these grounds before his appointment to Annapolis in 1873. He was the second African-American appointed as a midshipman to the U.S. Naval Academy and went on to co-found the Charleston Hospital and Training for Nurses, which served black Charlestonians in the 19th and into the 20th centuries. William Beverly Nash was chair of the Asylum Board of Regents during reconstruction and like Samuel Thompson among the four electors from Richland County who attended the 1868 Constitutional Convention. So those are some of the individuals who worked alongside Ellington and in some instances preceded Ellington's time on the Bull Street campus. And some who followed Mr. Ellington include individuals like businessman and political activist I.S. Levy who was selected as the undertaker for the state hospital. A clergyman, businessman, civil rights leader, Reverend James Pinton who served as chaplain at the Crafts Farrow State Hospital and is a member of the Mid-Carolina Mental Health Association. Political power broker, Democratic Party Leader and Greenview Community Organizer Charles James, C.G. Whitaker Senior. He began working for the state hospital in 1944 and spent nearly 40 years on the staff at sites including Morris Village and Crafts Farrow. Majesca Monte Simpkins and the Richland County Citizens Committee investigated and vocally opposed the striking inequities and mental health services for African-American citizens on this site. And then of course, Hilliard Bell who the mayor mentioned who was born in 1870 was a laborer and cook who resided on the state hospital property where he raised his family. So these are just a few of the stories that are important in understanding that the legacy of African-Americans associated with this campus. And these are stories that we need to tell alongside Paige Ellington's story. We've got an incredible park here with a lot of space and are excited about the opportunity to tell some of those stories and expanded wayside signage across this campus but also across the campus more broadly. Contributions of African-Americans have long gone unrecognized both here and in the mental health community more broadly. So the naming of this park for Paige Ellington is one of the many steps that we need to take to remedy the significant gaps in representation. And I applaud the city of Columbia and Hughes Development for recognizing the need and taking action and look forward to continuing to build on the stories as we move forward. And of course, the person who helps to develop these stories and provide access with these to the community, there's none better than Dr. Bobby Donaldson. So I yield to you to the doctor. Thank you very much, Robin. Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for being here on a historic day. The Columbia SC 63 Project in the Center for Civilized History and Research is very pleased to collaborate with the city of Columbia and historic Columbia in this endeavor. Today, as I think about the name of Paige Ellington, I'm reminded of a couple of conversations that I've had over the 21 years I've served on the faculty at the University of South Carolina. One conversation occurred at the Bethel AME Church. I was a student at that time listening to a teacher whose name was Catherine Bellefield, who led the Book of Washington Heights community up above this hill. During that conversation, Ms. Bellefield told me about the black men and women who helped build Columbia. And she mentioned to me that a colored man helped to build the Bulls Street property. But at the time, she could not recall his name. And then on another occasion, I was giving a walking tour on Blanding Street. And there I met a woman named Ms. Fally's Davis who died when she was 104 years old. We were giving a tour near the home of Richard Samuel Roberts and we're walking closer to the intersection of Blanding near the home of a man named William Manigot who built the Manigot Hurley Funeral Home. And as we stood on the corner, the lady beckoned us over and she said, why are you all walking the streets? And I said, Ms. Davis, we're here to do a tour of African-Americans of Arsenal Hill. She said, you're giving a tour about black history on this hill? She said, then sit down on my porch and let me tell you about the black people on Arsenal Hill. So in the afternoon, we went to the source and literally house by house, Ms. Fally's Davis talked about the people who lived on the hill. And she specifically talked about a man who lived three doors down from her house. She said, he was a brick mason like my husband. He helped to build houses and churches and buildings across Columbia. He was somebody in this city in the 19th century. And like Catherine Belfill, Ms. Davis did not remember his name. Another neighborhood leader is named Frank Houston who is here today who leads in the Waverland community. Frank Houston also knew of the story about this African-American builder in the city of Columbia. But unlike Ms. Belfill or unlike Ms. Davis, Frank Houston knew his name. His name is Paige Ellington. And today we gather in this space, you will look around the landscape of this property and we see buildings that were shaped and molded, built by Paige Ellington. And yet for decades and generations, Paige Ellington has simply been a footnote, a passing footnote in our city and our community's history. A footnote I came across in a report about Bull Street. The footnote said the South Carolina State Hospital minutes of the Board of Regents, volume five, 1910 to 1915, page 77. So last week, I followed the footnote to the South Carolina Department of Archives and History and I turned to the page February 8th, 1912. And there, the superintendent on yellow paper and carefully written script noted the following. Death of Paige Ellington, a bricklayer. These are his words. I also have to report with regrets the death of Paige Ellington at 3 a.m. on the morning of February the 4th. This colored man had been a faithful, loyal servant of this hospital, had in first been employed here in 1856. Then the superintendent wrote, he was always faithful, reliable, honest. And in his death, the institution has lost one of its most useful servants. Today, we gather here not to honor a useful servant, but an accomplished, brilliant brick mason, an architect named Paige Ellington. It seems to me that those who memorialized him in 1912 somehow forgot the important history of a man who was an architect, not just a bull street, but an architect of Columbia, an architect of reconstruction, an architect of Bethel AME Church, an architect of Ladsen Presbyterian Church, an architect of politics in the city of Columbia. There is much more to be said about the life and the legacy of Paige Ellington. But if we study this campus today, we will see the names of people like Babcock, Parker, Taylor, Talley, and others. But there is no name on these buildings that commemorate the life of a man who helped to build this campus. Well, today, Mr. Mayor and City Council, we offer a correction. We offer a reconstruction of this history of Columbia. There is a word in the biblical text that says the stones that the very builders rejected may well become the cheap cornerstones. Well, today, we add to the names of all those I mentioned, a name above many other names, a name Paige Ellington. Thank you. We're so thankful to Dr. Donaldson. You take a Bobby Donaldson, and you put him with Robin Waits, and you mix in some amazing storytellers, like so many we have here with us today, and neighborhood leaders and environmentalists, Rebecca. I remember talking about daylighting this stream many moons ago, and it seemed like it wasn't possible to happen. You put incredible public sector leaders. I wanna thank Greg Pierce for being here, former County Councilman and the chair of the DMH board for his constant leadership and passionate leadership on all things that affect our community over so many years. I had the opportunity immediately before my daughter gave me these cuff links this weekend in honor of Father's Day. She knows I love to wear historic cuff links. I love to wear Reverend John Wilson's old cuff links, and she wanted to connect the dots for me. I told her in a group of young people that they should always dream big dreams. The focus and user time-wising, never ever forget what's most important in life. Us being together is important. Us building together is important. We forget Bob that in order to get this deal done, in order to get Bull Street done, one vote made it happen. In order to bill Sagra Park, one vote made it happen. And now you come to the vision, becoming clear to all of us, unanimous support. There's a process of evolution that requires vision, requires steadfastness, requires a commitment to building a future in which each and every one of us, each and every one of God's children, including those that have gone long, gone the glory long, long time ago, has a chance to live up to the full potential. It's my honor to welcome each and every one of you to pay Jellenton Park. God bless you.