For two decades, Robin Waites has helped preserve the area’s history as the executive director of Historic Columbia.

Now, as she is set to retire from her role leading the organization, Waites’ name is set to take on its own historic significance.

More than 200 people gathered at the Robert Mills House and Gardens on Blanding Street on Tuesday morning for a celebration of Waites upon her retirement from the nonprofit Historic Columbia. A host of state legislators, city and county council members, local business and arts leaders, and others were on hand for the event, which included a presentation of the Order of the Palmetto to Waites. It is the highest civilian honor that can be bestowed upon a South Carolina resident.

It was also announced Tuesday that Historic Columbia is launching a $500,000 fundraising campaign to renovate the carriage house on the Robert Mills property, where it will establish the Robin Waites Community Engagement Center. Once complete, the Waites Center will be a multipurpose gathering space with new audiovisual technology for educational programs, dedicated collaborative workspaces and an outdoor recreational area. The city of Columbia has kicked off fundraising for the center, pledging $125,000 for the project, Mayor Daniel Rickenmann said during Tuesday’s ceremony.

The announcement comes as Waites is set to retire after 22 years at Historic Columbia, including 20 years as its executive director.

Historic Columbia grew in influence and scale under Waites’ watch. When she was hired as executive director two decades ago, Historic Columbia had six full-time staffers, a handful of part-timers and an annual budget of about $300,000. It now employs more than 20 full-time staffers, about 20 part-timers and has a budget of $2.5 million. It oversees a host of historic homes and sites across Columbia and Richland County.

Rickenmann said Tuesday that Waites has been instrumental in increasing the visibility of historic sites in Columbia, and bringing honest conversations about difficult historical truths to the forefront.

“What she has helped us do is something we struggled with as a community for so long, which is telling our story,” the mayor said. “Telling who we are. There is a vibe in Columbia now where people are proud of Columbia and they want to tell the story. The good, the bad and the ugly. … We have a deep history.”

Waites said Tuesday that she has worked with Historic Columbia’s staff and community members in the last two decades to develop the nonprofit into a champion of the area’s history, including aspects of history that might have previously gone under-noticed.

“It has been a steady, constant drumbeat over the last two decades,” Waites said. “It has come through research and programming that addresses underrepresented communities, creating platforms that elevate the stories of others and advocating for historic places that are often overlooked and undervalued.”

One of the initiatives under Waites’ watch was the 2008 establishment of the Connecting Communities Through History program. That began with a focus on six historic neighborhoods in Columbia via a collection of oral histories, documentation of various historic sites and the creation of web-based and guided tours. By 2021 the program had expanded to 23 areas of Columbia and was organized by themes including LGBTQ Columbia, the Jewish Heritage Initiative and African-American heritage sites.

A search for a new permanent executive director at Historic Columbia is ongoing. The nonprofit’s board announced on June 11 that Jeffrey Richardson, who has been serving as the director of operations at Historic Columbia, will serve as acting executive director beginning June 28.