Wilson, Thomas Woodrow, Boyhood Home
National Register Listing
Street Address:
1705 Hampton St., Columbia, SC (Richland County)
NRHP Nomination
Record Number:
S10817740022
Description and Narrative:
Built in 1872, in the then popular “Cottage Style” and bearing the theme of a modified Tuscan villa of unquestionable Andrew Jackson Downing inspiration, the Thomas Woodrow Wilson Boyhood Home is one of the best examples of Italianate “Cottage Architecture” in South Carolina. Remaining virtually as built, the home where Woodrow Wilson spent part of his boyhood today provides a glimpse into the world of the 1870s which influenced the boy who became the twenty-eighth President of the United States. The home was built by the Reverend Joseph Ruggles Wilson, professor at the Columbia Theological Seminary from 1870 to 1874, minister of the First Presbyterian Church from 1871 to 1873 and father of Thomas Woodrow Wilson. The family occupied the house until 1875 when the Wilson’s moved from South Carolina. Restored by Historic Columbia Foundation, the house contains gaslights of the period, 1870s oak graining, and original iron mantels painted to resemble marble. The lawn, which is surrounded by a picket fence, contains tea olives, magnolias and dogwoods planted by the Wilson’s. Listed in the National Register February 23, 1972.
Period of Significance:
1872 – 1875
Level of Significance:
National
Area of Significance:
Landscape Architecture;Architecture;Politics/Government
National Register Determination:
listed
Date of Certification:
February 23 1972
