Lancaster Downtown Historic District
National Register Listing
Street Address:
S. Main, Gay, and Catawba Sts., Lancaster, SC (Lancaster County)
NRHP Nomination
Record Number:
S10817729009
Description and Narrative:
Beginning in the 1880s, a number of commercial buildings were constructed in the block of Main Street just south of the courthouse. The Lancaster Downtown Historic District is located along portions of a three-block section of South Main Street in downtown Lancaster and consists of twelve buildings constructed between ca. 1880 and ca. 1935. The district includes brick commercial buildings as well as the United States Post Office, the Springs Block, the Farmers’ Bank and Trust Company Building, and the Bank of Lancaster/Opera House. The district is significant as the most intact section of Lancaster’s early business area. Some of the properties are fine examples of commercial architecture. As early as 1799, a Lancaster County Courthouse was located on the present lot, and it is likely that commercial buildings as well as residences were located in the immediate vicinity. By the 1880s a number of commercial properties had been constructed in the block of Main Street just south of the courthouse. It was not until after 1900 that further commercial development occurred in the area of Main Street which comprises the district. Listed in the National Register August 8, 1984.
Period of Significance:
circa 1880 – 1935
Level of Significance:
Local
Area of Significance:
Architecture;Commerce
National Register Determination:
listed
Date of Certification:
August 9 1984
