Ever Wondered How Columbia Came to Be?

A free mini-course being offered this February by Columbia Association’s (CA) Columbia Archives will capture the events of a
significant period in the history of Jim Rouse’s planned community.

“Creating Columbia: A Mini-Course” will be held on three Mondays: Feb. 2, 9 and 16, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at Slayton House,
10400 Cross Fox Lane in the Wilde Lake Village Center. The minicourse is free, but registration is encouraged. People can choose to register for all three Mondays or for individual sessions via CreatingColumbia. Eventbrite.com or by calling 410-715-3103.

It was big news when the plan for Columbia was presented 50 years ago. The announcement made on November 11, 1964 was
met with many questions and some answers. The period that led up to it included a year of hard work, but what followed was an even more hectic schedule. “Creating Columbia: A Mini-Course” looks at the period from November 1964 to May 1965, covering the formal Columbia plan, the initial reaction to it and the feverish work that followed in order to fine tune the plan, cement relationships within Howard County, and ensure that the plan would be accepted and then greenlighted for development.

The February 2 session, “Introducing the Plan,” will look at the focus on the November 11, 1964, announcement and the initial
reaction to it.

The February 9 session, “Inspiration and Perspiration,” will paint a picture of the period in which Columbia transitioned from
an idea into the business of building, including the all-consuming details of planning and design, zoning regulations, institutional and industrial development, information and public relations, and the business of managing 14,000 acres of woods and farmland.

The February 16 session, “Columbia Gets the Go-Ahead,” captures Rouse’s schedule, illustrating the pace at which he met
the opportunities and challenges of building Columbia.

These sessions will be led by Columbia historian Barbara Kellner, director of Columbia Archives. For more information, call 410-715-3103 or email Barbara.Kellner@ColumbiaAssociation.org.

A related exhibit can be viewed at Columbia Archives until May 2015. The Archives is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., 10227 Wincopin Circle in downtown Columbia in the American City Building. This is the third exhibit in the  “Celebrating Columbia: 50 Years Ago Today” series, which traces the events leading up to Columbia’s official beginning on June 21, 1967. The series will conclude in June 2017, when the community celebrates its 50th birthday.