Columbia Downtown Historic Resources Survey National Register Evaluations
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COLUMBIA Downtown Historic Resource Survey Final Survey Report September 28, 2020 Staci Richey, Access Preservation with Dr. Lydia Brandt Intentionally Left Blank Columbia Downtown Historic Resource Survey City of Columbia, Richland County, S.C. FINAL Report September 28, 2020 Report Submitted to: City of Columbia, Planning and Development Services, 1136 Washington Street, Columbia, S.C. 29201 Report Prepared By: Access Preservation, 7238 Holloway Road, Columbia, S.C. 29209 Staci Richey – Historian and Co-Author, Access Preservation Lydia Mattice Brandt, PhD – Architectural Historian and Co-Author, Independent Contractor Intentionally Left Blank This program receives Federal financial assistance for identification and protection of historic properties. Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended, the U.S. Department of the Interior prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability or age in its federally assisted programs. If you believe you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility as described above, or if you desire further information, please write to: Office for Equal Opportunity National Park Service 1849 C Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20240 Table of Contents Acknowledgements Lists of Figures, Tables, and Maps Abbreviations Used in Notes and Text 1. Project Summary 1 2. Survey Methodology 4 3. Historic Context of Columbia 6 Colonial and Antebellum Columbia 6 Columbia from the Civil War through World War I 16 Columbia between the Wars: 1920s through World War II 35 Mid-Century Columbia: 1945-1975 44 Conclusion 76 4. Evaluation of Recorded Properties 77 NRHP Listings 77 Surveyed Resources 97 Special Considerations and Challenges When Evaluating Modern Resources 102 Architects and Contractors 110 5. Recommendations 119 Individual Properties Proposed for Eligibility for the NRHP 119 Districts Recommended for Listing in the NRHP 135 Multiple Property Submissions Recommended for Listing in the NRHP 150 Resources to Recommend for Listing at the Local/City Level 156 Recommendations for Future Preservation Planning Efforts 173 6. Data Gaps 177 7. Bibliography 178 8. Appendix: List of Apartment Buildings and Mid-Century Office Buildings Surveyed 186 9. Inventory of Surveyed Resources 190 10. Letter from S.C. State Historic Preservation Office 209 Acknowledgements Staci Richey, Access Preservation, and Lydia Mattice Brandt, Ph.D., would like to thank the City of Columbia Planning and Development Office for their support. In particular, Amy Moore provided access to historic research files, Rachel Walling served as project manager, and Megan McNish provided archival maps. We would also like to thank Brad Sauls at the South Carolina State Department of Archives and History (SCDAH), for his help with project administration. Both parties were very flexible with us as we navigated this survey and the public meeting components during a world-wide pandemic and limited access to libraries and archival resources. We would also like to thank the members of the public who graciously allowed us to interview them about local history and family sites in the city. These include Dr. John Bryan, Jack Fuller Jr., Dorothy Seegers Ropp, Sewell Gelberd, and Cecily Johnson. Members of the local history and architecture community were also extremely generous with their time and knowledge. Derek Gruner, architect for the University of South Carolina, provided crucial information regarding the architects and built dates of Modern buildings on the campus. Katharine Thompson Allen, John Sherrer, and Robin Waites of Historic Columbia and Andy Chandler were also helpful. Federal grant funds from the National Park Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior (administered by the SCDAH) have in part financed the activity that is the subject of this report. However, the contents and opinions do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of the Interior, nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendations by the Department of the Interior. Lists of Figures, Tables, and Maps Figures Figure 3.1. 1931 reprint of the first map of Columbia, S.C., made by John Guignard in 1786 8 Figure 3.2. Detail of map showing the South Carolina College campus and the South Carolina 12 state house grounds Figure 3.3. Postcard of Trinity Church (now Trinity Cathedral), ca. 1910 12 Figure 3.4. Two examples of Columbia Cottages 17 Figure 3.5. Columbia after the February 1865 fire 17 Figure 3.6. C. N. Drie, “Bird’s Eye View of the City of Columbia, South Carolina,” 1872 18 Figure 3.7. Kelsey and Guild’s proposed park system for Columbia, 1905 21 Figure 3.8. Columbia’s skyline in 1914 28 Figure 3.9. Postcards of Baptist Hospital and the City General Hospital 28 Figure 3.10. “Lumber Alley,” the 1800 block of Calhoun Street 33 Figure 3.11. Shotgun houses on the 1919 Sanborn Map 33 Figure 3.12. Columbia’s electric streetcar system, 1886-1936 37 Figure 3.13. Gibbes Green at the University of South Carolina 37 Figure 3.14. The Art Moderne Greyhound Bus Depot 43 Figure 3.15. Carver Theater and the 1500 block of Harden Street 43 Figure 3.16. The Marlboro Building at 1116 Blanding Street 43 Figure 3.17. The International Style University Terrace 48 Figure 3.18. Map of existing land uses from “In Step With Tomorrow: A Comprehensive Plan 48 for the Columbia Planning Area” (1961) Figure 3.19. The “fight blight” campaign in action at 1600 Pendleton Street5 50 Figure 3.20. Projected land use map and the “Main Street Mall” from the 1969 Doxiadis Plan 50 Figure 3.21. The Wade Hampton Hotel 56 Figure 3.22. Veterans Administration Regional Office 56 Figure 3.23. The International Style Pendleton Building, 1321 Pendleton Street 60 Figure 3.24. LBC&W’s finest New Formalist Buildings 60 Figure 3.25. View south down the UofSC Pedestrian Mall towards Bates Hall 64 Figure 3.26. Gambrell Hall, University of South Carolina 64 Figure 3.27. Assembly Street Parking Garage 67 Figure 3.28. Seibels, Bruce & Company Building, 1501 Lady Street 67 Figure 3.29. Sears Town just before its grand opening in August 1955 69 Figure 3.30. 1600 block of Main Street with its new Modernist facades 69 Figure 3.31. The Brutalist Standard Savings Bank Building, 1337 Main Street 73 Figure 3.32. Postcard of First Baptist Church and its Educational Building 73 Figure 3.33. Union Baptist Church 75 Figure 3.34. Cornell Arms 75 Figure 4.1. #8372, 1919 Gadsden Street 95 Figure 4.2. #7943, 1002 Calhoun Street 95 Figure 4.3. #8235, 1500 Calhoun Street 95 Figure 4.4. #8002, 1328 Blanding Street 95 Figure 4.5. The 1970s slipcover on King’s Jewelers at 1611 Main Street 95 Figure 4.6. #7995, the 1969 National Bank of SC 95 Figure 4.7. #7890, Sims Hall 96 Figure 4.8. #7880, Wardlaw College 96 Figure 4.9. North side of the 1800 block of Hampton Street 101 Figure 4.10. 1823 Pulaski (#8342) 101 Figure 4.11. 1710 Gervais St. (#8334) 101 Figure 4.12. c.1965 Modern church at 809 Calhoun St (#8367) 101 Figure 4.13. concrete plant at 2001 Taylor (#8184) 101 Figure 4.14. #8202, 1216 Pickens Street 101 Figure 4.15. LBC&W and WS&A, Capitol Complex Master Plan, 1969 107 Figure 4.16. LBC&W’s Bankers Trust Tower in Columbia (#8035, 1974) and the Seagram 107 Building in New York City (1958) Figure 4.17. #7868: 1019 Assembly Street in 2004 108 Figure 4.18. #7868: 1019 Assembly Street in May 2020 108 Figure 4.19. #8281: 1514 Pickens Street 108 Figure 4.20. #8125, 1430 Bull Street in 1965 108 Figure 4.21. #8125, 1430 Bull Street in May 2020 108 Figure 4.22. #8010: Downtown Medical Center, 1410 Blanding Street, in 1965 109 Figure 4.23. #8010: Downtown Medical Center, 1410 Blanding Street, in May 2020 109 Figure 4.24. #7848: SC Department of Agriculture Laboratory, 1101 Williams Street 109 Figure 4.25. #7887: Patterson Hall, UofSC in 1962 109 Figure 4.26. #7887: Patterson Hall, UofSC in July 2020 109 Figure 4.27. LBC&W in their offices in the Bankers Trust Tower, 1974 118 Figure 5.1. #8160: Smith’s Service Station, 2032 Sumter Street 131 Figure 5.2. #8172: Leevy’s Funeral Home, 1831 Taylor Street 131 Figure 5.3. #8188: Richtex Shale Products Company, 2000 Taylor Street 131 Figure 5.4. #8200: M. H. Baxley’s Groceries, 1309 Gregg Street 131 Figure 5.5. #8278: W. M. Kirby Grocery, 1518 Taylor Street 131 Figure 5.6. #8279: Richland Auto Sales, 1514 Taylor Street 131 Figure 5.7. #8347: Star Music, 1320 Assembly Street 132 Figure 5.8. #8348: People’s Pawn Shop, 1326 Assembly Street 132 Figure 5.9. #8433: Seastrunk Electric Company, 1731 Harden Street 132 Figures 5.10-11. #8465: Lyles, Bissett, Carlisle and Wolff Office Building, 1810 Gervais Street 132 Figures 5.12. #8001: Standard Oil Company Headquarters, 300 Gervais Street 132 Figure 5.13. #7766: South Carolina State Archives, 1430 Senate Street 133 Figure 5.14. #7767: South Carolina State Library, 1500 Senate Street 133 Figures 5.15. #8038: United States Post Office, 1601 Assembly Street 133 Figure 5.16. #8257: Heise-Tunander House, 1426 Hampton Street 133 Figure 5.17. #7952: Parsonage for Sidney Park M.E. Church, 1108 Blanding Street 133 Figure 5.18. #8357: Nathaniel J. Frederick House, 1416 Park Street 133 Figure 5.19. #8323: Young Men’s Christian Association, 1420 Sumter Street 134 Figure 5.20. Hampton Street Medical Corridor Historic District, #8136, 1840 Hampton Street 148 Figure 5.21.