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by WILL FOLKS
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With a potentially record-setting heat dome bearing down on the Palmetto State ahead of the Fourth of July holiday weekend, residents at a Columbia, South Carolina retirement home are once again struggling to stay cool amid recurring air conditioning issues.
Christopher Towers senior apartments – located at 1805 Devine Street in downtown Columbia – made news two summers ago when it was forced to relocate multiple residents amid an “air conditioning issue,” according to WLTX TV 19 (CBS – Columbia, S.C.).
Prior to that, residents were forced to evacuate on Christmas Day 2022 when a pipe burst inside the facility.
This week, the facility is dealing with yet another air conditioning problem – although according to our sources its new management is not evacuating any of its 276 residents in response.
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“They made us stay in eighty degree heat with no air conditioning ALL night at Christopher Towers,” one resident noted on Facebook. “This is elder abuse!”
Early Thursday afternoon (July 2, 2026), a staffer at the facility told FITSNews the new managers were aware of the complaints related to the air conditioning.
“We are definitely aware of that,” the staffer said.
According to the staffer, the facility’s community manager was en route to Christopher Towers with the part needed to address the air conditioning issue – with repairs expected to be completed by the close of business on Thursday.
Christopher Towers is a 225-unit, 16-floor high-rise community which features “both subsidized section 8 apartments and conventional units.”
“Section 8” refers to part of the 1937 Housing Act which provided rental housing assistance to low-income individuals. The program is overseen by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and overseen by local public housing authorities. During the 2025 fiscal year, HUD spent approximately $36 billion on tenant-based rental assistance for approximately 5 million beneficiaries.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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