Old Greenville City Hall

Last updated

Greenville City Hall
Old City Hall, Greenville, South Carolina (1889).jpg
Old Greenville City Hall
USA South Carolina location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
LocationMain and Broad Sts., Greenville, South Carolina
Coordinates 34°50′52″N82°24′2″W / 34.84778°N 82.40056°W / 34.84778; -82.40056
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1889
ArchitectWindrim, James H.
Architectural style Romanesque, Richardsonian Romanesque
NRHP reference No. 71001067 [1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPAugust 19, 1971 [2]
Removed from NRHPJanuary 1, 1973

Old Greenville City Hall is a former building in Greenville, South Carolina, originally built as the U.S. Courthouse and Post Office in 1889 on the corner of Main and Broad Streets. Transferred to the city of Greenville in 1938, it served as the Greenville city hall. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on August 19, 1971, [2] [3] and was removed in 1973 after its demolition. [1] [3]

Contents

History

The courthouse and post office was designed by James H. Windrim, who was Supervisory Architect for the United States Department of the Treasury. [2] [4] and built on the site of the home of Colonel David Hoke. [5] The resident architect for the construction was James R. Lawrence, who moved from Port Huron, Michigan, to complete the project. [2]

In 1909, James Knox Taylor was the Supervisory Architect for an addition to its north side. More alterations or minor additions were made in 1923, 1924, 1927, 1929, and 1931. [2]

The U.S. Circuit Court for the Western District of South Carolina met here until 1898. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of South Carolina met here until 1937. [4]

The city of Greenville traded the federal government a parcel of land on East Washington Street for the courthouse. After construction of a new post office on that parcel, the building became the Greenville City Hall in 1938. [5]

A new city hall was built on an adjoining lot formerly occupied by a Masonic Temple, the Old City Hall was demolished in 1973, and a parking garage was built on its site [5] across Broad Street from the Peace Center.

Architecture

U.S. Court House and Post Office from a ca. 1910 postcard showing the addition Post Office and City Hall (Greenville, South Carolina).jpg
U.S. Court House and Post Office from a ca. 1910 postcard showing the addition

The two-story building was designed in Richardsonian Romanesque style with a red tiled roof, castellated towers, and precast terracotta insets. The foyer had pink marble floors and the staircase that led to the tower was designed with half-turns on its landings. The building has been compared to the Smithsonian Castle. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Court House Square (Charleston)</span>

Court House Square is the location of Charleston County Courthouse in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, at the intersection of Meeting and Broad Streets. It is historically known as "the Four Corners of Law" because the intersection hosted buildings from each level of government: the Courthouse, City Hall, the Federal Building and U.S. Post Office, and Saint Michael's Episcopal Church.

William Augustus Edwards, also known as William A. Edwards was an Atlanta-based American architect renowned for the educational buildings, courthouses and other public and private buildings that he designed in Florida, Georgia and his native South Carolina. More than 25 of his works have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baltimore City Circuit Courthouses</span> Building in Baltimore City, United States of America

The Baltimore City Circuit Courthouses are state judicial facilities located in downtown Baltimore, Maryland. They face each other in the 100 block of North Calvert Street, between East Lexington Street on the north and East Fayette Street on the south across from the Battle Monument Square (1815-1822), which held the original site of the first colonial era courthouse for Baltimore County and Town, after moving the Baltimore County seat in 1767 to the burgeoning port town on the Patapsco River established in 1729-1730.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willoughby J. Edbrooke</span> American architect

Willoughby James Edbrooke (1843–1896) was an American architect and a bureaucrat who remained faithful to a Richardsonian Romanesque style into the era of Beaux-Arts architecture in the United States, supported by commissions from conservative federal and state governments that were spurred by his stint in 1891-92 as Supervising Architect of the U.S. Treasury Department.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Knox Taylor</span> American architect

James Knox Taylor was Supervising Architect of the United States Department of the Treasury from 1897 to 1912. His name is listed ex officio as supervising architect of hundreds of federal buildings built throughout the United States during the period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George McRae</span>

George McRae was a Scottish-Australian architect who migrated from his native Edinburgh to Sydney, where he became Government Architect of New South Wales and designed some of Sydney's best-known buildings, including completion of the Sydney Town Hall, the Queen Victoria Building, and the lower entrance to Taronga Zoo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spring Street Courthouse</span> United States historic place

The Spring Street Courthouse, formerly the United States Court House in Downtown Los Angeles, is a Moderne style building that originally served as both a post office and a courthouse. The building was designed by Gilbert Stanley Underwood and Louis A. Simon, and construction was completed in 1940. It formerly housed federal courts but is now used by Los Angeles Superior Court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Courthouse (Tallahassee)</span>

The United States Bankruptcy Courthouse, Tallahassee, Florida, is a courthouse of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strom Thurmond Federal Building and United States Courthouse</span> United States historic place

The Strom Thurmond Federal Building and United States Courthouse is United States federal building located in Columbia, South Carolina, which was completed in 1979 and which served for twenty-five years as a courthouse of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina. It is named for long-time Senator Strom Thurmond, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Post Office, Courthouse, and Federal Office Building (Oklahoma City)</span> United States historic place

The United States Post Office and Courthouse, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma is a historic post office, courthouse, and Federal office building built in 1912 and located at Oklahoma City in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma. It previously served as a courthouse of the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, and of the United States Court of Appeals, briefly housing the Eighth Circuit and, then the Tenth Circuit for several decades. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. It continues to house the Bankruptcy court for the Western District of Oklahoma. The building includes Moderne and Beaux Arts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Post Office and Courthouse (Charleston, South Carolina)</span> United States historic place

The U.S. Post Office and Courthouse is a historic post office and courthouse located at Charleston in Charleston County, South Carolina. The building and its annexes serve the federal court for the Charleston Division of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Genesee County Courthouse Historic District</span> Historic district in New York, United States

The Genesee County Courthouse Historic District is located at the junction of Main, West Main and Ellicott streets in downtown Batavia, New York, United States. It is a small area with the county courthouse, a war memorial and other government buildings dating from the 1840s to the 1920s. Some were originally built for private purposes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rochester City Hall (New York)</span> United States historic place

Rochester City Hall is a historic government building in Rochester in Monroe County, New York. Also known as the Federal Building and Old Post Office, the building was originally built for use by the federal government. It is a four-story, Richardsonian Romanesque style structure with an inner court and tower. It was built between 1885 and 1889 of heavy brown sandstone with a metal skeleton. It was expanded in 1893 and in 1907. The building was designed in part by architect Harvey Ellis under the Office of the Supervising Architect Mifflin E. Bell. The building has served as the City Hall since the 1970s. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Alfred Freret</span> American architect

William Alfred Freret, Jr. ["Will Freret"] was an American architect. He served from 1887 to 1888 as head of the Office of the Supervising Architect, which oversaw construction of Federal buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James H. Windrim</span> American architect

James Hamilton Windrim was a Philadelphia architect who specialized in public buildings, including the Masonic Temple in Philadelphia and the U.S. Treasury. A number the buildings he designed are on the National Historic Landmarks and/or the National Register of Historic Places, including the Masonic Temple in Philadelphia and the National Savings and Trust Company building in Washington, DC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carson City Post Office</span> United States historic place

The Carson City Post Office is a historic building in Carson City, Nevada built from 1888 to 1891. It was designed by architect Mifflin E. Bell. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Hampshire Legislative Office Building</span> United States historic place

The Legislative Office Building of the New Hampshire State Legislature is a government office building across North State Street from the New Hampshire State House in Concord, New Hampshire. Built in 1889, it is one of the state's largest buildings built out of locally quarried granite. It was originally used as a post office and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Old Post Office. It was also included in the Concord Civic District in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City of Camden Historic District</span> Historic district in South Carolina, United States

City of Camden Historic District is a national historic district located at Camden, Kershaw County, South Carolina. The district encompasses 48 contributing buildings, 8 contributing sites, 2 contributing structures, and 3 contributing objects in Camden. The district is mostly residential but also include public buildings, a church, and a cemetery. Camden's architecture is classically inspired and includes examples of Federal, Greek Revival, and Classical Revival, in addition to cottage-type, Georgian, Charleston-type with modifications, and mansion-type houses. Several of the city's buildings were designed by architect Robert Mills. Notable buildings include the Kershaw County Courthouse (1826), U.S. Post Office, Camden Opera House and Clock Tower, Camden Powder Magazine, Trinity United Methodist Church, St. Mary's Catholic Church, Gov. Fletcher House, Greenleaf Villa, The First National Bank of Camden, and the separately listed Bethesda Presbyterian Church and Kendall Mill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbus Civic Center (Ohio)</span> Civic center in downtown Columbus, Ohio

The Columbus Civic Center is a civic center, a collection of government buildings, museums, and open park space in Downtown Columbus, Ohio. The site is located along the Scioto Mile recreation area and historically was directly on the banks of the Scioto River.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Greenville City Hall" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form. South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Retrieved April 28, 2010.
  3. 1 2 "Greenville City Hall, Greenville and Broad Sts., Greenville)". National Register Properties in South Carolina. South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Retrieved April 28, 2010.
  4. 1 2 "Greenville, South Carolina". Historic Courthouses. Federal Judicial Center. Retrieved April 29, 2010.
  5. 1 2 3 Willis, Jeffrey R. (2003). Remembering Greenville: Photographs from the Coxe Collection. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. pp. 6, 14. ISBN   0-7385-1566-3.

See also