Columbia City Hall
Introduction
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Columbia City Hall is a striking example of Renaissance architecture. It was built in 1870 and originally functioned as a federal post office and courthouse. It became City Hall in 1934.
Backstory and Context
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Alfred B. Mullet rose to become one of the country's most prominent architects. He was born in England in 1834 but immigrated to the United States with his family when he was eleven (they settled in Ohio). After studying architecture in Europe, he co-founded a practice in Cincinnati with another architect. President Ulysses S. Grant appointed Mullet as United States Supervising Architect in 1865, a position he held for fifteen years. He is credited for designing a number of notable buildings including the U.S. Mint Building in San Francisco and the south wing of the Treasury Department in Washington, D.C.
The City Hall building features a smooth granite wall exterior and three types of windows, one for each floor. The windows on the first are arched, the windows on the second have small pediments, and the windows on third floor are framed by mouldings with keystones. Two large pediments are located on the south and north facades. Originally, the post office was located on the first floor and the courtroom and courthouse offices were located on the upper floors.
Sources
"Mullett, Alfred B. (Bult)." Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati. Accessed April 21, 2021. https://www.architecturecincy.org/programs/biographical-dictionary-of-cincinnati-architects/m.
Myers, Florence Bacher. "Columbia City Hall." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. June 19, 1973. http://www.nationalregister.sc.gov/richland/S10817740028/S10817740028.pdf.
Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Columbia_City_Hall;_Columbia,_South_Carolina;_February_24,_2016.jpg