A local church plans to buy Columbia’s Dutch Square Center mall. Here’s what we know
The oldest enclosed mall in Columbia could soon have a new owner.
Word of God Church and Ministries International, a large multicultural church with a campus on Columbia’s Diamond Lane, announced Sunday on its website and across its social media channels that it has entered into a contract to purchase Dutch Square Center mall at 421 Bush River Road. Word of God’s Bishop Eric Davis also announced the plans during his Sunday sermon, to the cheers of the church’s congregation.
“With the addition of Dutch Square Mall to its portfolio, (Word of God) aims to revitalize this space, breathing new life into it and transforming it into a place of inspiration, unity, and prosperity for the local community and region at-large,” the church said in a release.
Davis said during his Sunday sermon that the mall purchase is under contract and the church hopes the deal closes before the end of the year.
Dutch Square, located just southeast of where Interstates 20 and 26 meet, was Columbia’s first true indoor mall, opening in 1970, and has had scores of retail tenants through the years. Like many malls across the shifting retail landscape of the U.S., it has struggled to retain national tenants in recent years and has a number of empty storefronts. However, there remain notable tenants at Dutch Square, including Burlington department store, a 14-screen Bow Tie Cinemas movie theater, Office Depot, a Planet Fitness gym and a number of other businesses.
Richland County property records show the mall property is currently owned by New York-based Nassimi Realty, which purchased the property in 2017, according to a release from the company.
Full details of Word of God’s future plans for the mall property have not been announced. A Word of God video announcing the planned purchase of the mall touts its 40 acres and more than 500,000-square-foot building, as well as some of the key tenants that are at the mall.
“There is a big vision that is global as a result of this acquisition, but I’m not going to share it all now,” Davis told his congregation Sunday. “There will be some time in the near future where I’ll call the congregation together and lay out the entire vision, even as the pieces come together.”
It’s not unprecedented for a Columbia church to add a shopping complex to its portfolio. Seven years ago, Meeting Place Church of Greater Columbia, led by Bishop Eric Freeman, purchased 23 acres and a quarter-million square feet of a shopping center at 201 Columbia Mall Blvd., not far from Two Notch Road. That complex includes the Spotlight Cinemas Capital 8 movie theater and other businesses.
The news of the planned purchase of Dutch Square mall comes after a different mall across town made headlines last week. Developers announced earlier this year that Richland Mall, located at 3400 Forest Drive, would be demolished and the property would be overhauled with new retail, residences and more. Last week, the Belk department store at Richland Mall announced it would close in early September, and the Barnes & Noble bookstore announced it would move out of Richland Mall in early 2024 and relocate to Garners Ferry Road.
