A thorofare that connects Columbia and West Columbia has been given an honorary title paying tribute to a man who had an outsize impact on both sides of the Congaree River.

Simultaneous unveiling ceremonies on each side of the waterway were held Sept. 18 for signs christening the stretch of Gervais Street and Meeting Street that goes across the Gervais Street Bridge into West Columbia as “Joe E. Taylor, Jr. Way” in honor of the late Columbia City Council member and prolific developer who died last December.

A prominent presence in S.C. economic development, he served as the state’s Secretary of Commerce and helped attract the Boeing plant that has operated in North Charleston for more than a decade.

Elected to Columbia City Council in 2021, his business office was in West Columbia, where he spearheaded a variety of development efforts in recent years.

“Among his many West Columbia investments, Joe Taylor was a partner in the St. Ann’s Alley development, which is a 34-home residential development located in the River District of West Columbia. Joe Taylor also developed 508 Meeting Street as Class A office space and 1205 D Avenue in the Triangle City area,” the city noted in a release following his death. “In 2021, Joe Taylor redeveloped a vacant warehouse located at 415 Meeting Street and was fundamental in recruiting the popular D’s Wings restaurant to West Columbia.”

A large crowd attended the unveiling in West Columbia, with multiple public officials in attendance, including West Columbia Mayor Tem Miles, Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann, state Rep. Micah Caskey and state Sen. Nikki Setzler, all of whom spoke during the ceremony.

A binding theme among the remarks was the way Taylor worked to make the two cities connected by the road that honors him better collaborators. 

“He worked to bridge the gap between our communities and encouraged us to work together,” Miles said. “I can't think of a better stretch of road in this state to remember John Taylor by than right here. He was a literal bridge between our communities that provided development, redevelopment and revitalization to all of us. And he always sought improvement in all of us.”