Orangeburg Downtown Historic District

National Register Listing

Street Address:

Russell, Broughton, Middleton, Church, Meeting, St. John, Hampton, and Amelia Sts. around public square, Orangeburg, SC (Orangeburg County)

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NRHP Nomination

NRHP Additional Documentation

NRHP Maps

Record Number:

S10817738024

Description and Narrative:

Originally listed in 1985 for commercial, industrial, architectural, governmental, and social significance, the Orangeburg Downtown Historic District is a prime example of the evolution of a downtown commercial district from the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth centuries. The district is also significant for its associations with the Civil Rights Movement, especially the sit-ins at the Kress Department Store, and for associations with Orangeburg’s Jewish history. A majority of the buildings in the district were built between ca. 1883 and ca. 1925 when Orangeburg underwent tremendous growth, with a smaller number of buildings representing postwar architecture and commerce. Buildings in the district are constructed mainly of brick and represent various architectural movements of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, including Romanesque Revival, Victorian, Neo-Classical, and Modern. Listed in the National Register September 20, 1985; Additional Documentation approved January 22, 2019.

Period of Significance:

circa 1800 – 1968

Level of Significance:

Local

Area of Significance:

Commerce;Industry;Architecture;Politics/Government;Other;Ethnic Heritage: Black;Ethnic Heritage: Jewish

National Register Determination:

listed

Date of Certification:

September 20 1985

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