Greyhound Bus Depot
National Register Listing
Street Address:
1200 Blanding St., Columbia, SC (Richland County)
NRHP Nomination
Record Number:
S10817740099
Description and Narrative:
The Greyhound Bus Depot is Columbia’s finest example of Art Moderne architecture. This style, popular from about 1930 until 1941, was derived from the pioneering work of industrial designers such as Norman Bel Geddes, Henry Dreyfuss, and Raymond Loewy. The primary elements of the style were the extensive use of new materials, such as aluminum, stainless steel, and synthetics; the absence of superfluous ornament; the suppression of functional demands beneath an encompassing shell; and the extensive use of streamlining, especially in buildings associated with transportation. The depot is an island-type bus station which was built in 1938-1939. The building has a full basement with reinforced concrete foundations and a structural steel framework supporting its main level. George D. Brown, the architect of the Columbia Bus Depot, used design motifs introduced by the industrial designer Raymond Loewy. Loewy had prepared designs for Greyhound from 1933, and was responsible for the blue and ivory color scheme, the stainless steel trim, the redesign of the running dog, and the aerodynamic streamlining, all of which were incorporated into the company image. Loewy’s designs for Greyhound Busses utilized these elements. The Art Moderne was significant as a symbol of hope during the Great Depression. The style represented speed, efficiency, and industrial prosperity, overcoming the economic hardships of the era. Listed in the National Register December 28, 1989.
Period of Significance:
1938 – 1939
Level of Significance:
Local
Area of Significance:
Architecture
National Register Determination:
listed
Date of Certification:
December 28 1989
