Olympia Armory
National Register Listing
Street Address:
511 Granby Ln., Columbia, SC (Richland County)
NRHP Nomination
Record Number:
S10817740104
Description and Narrative:
The Olympia Armory is significant as an excellent example of the National Guard armories designed with Art Deco or Moderne influences and built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the late 1930s and early 1940s. This armory was built in 1936-37 and was one of several armories designed for the South Carolina National Guard under the direction of Brigadier General James C. Dozier. It is a one-story rectangular load-bearing brick building featuring a barrel-vaulted roof, brick parapeted end walls, and intricate brick detailing. The design displays Art Deco and Moderne influences in the corbelled pilasters and window surrounds. The façade is defined by its triple step-down of the parapet. The brickwork on the pilasters repeats the step-down effect by triple-stepping or corbelling outward in profile and triple-stepping downward in the column’s top termination detail. The armory was a center of community activity in the mill villages of Granby and Olympia. It hosted sporting events, theatrical performances, and other civic activities. Olympia School, located adjacent to the armory, also utilized it as a gymnasium until the school constructed one for its students’ own use. Listed in the National Register January 20, 1995.
Period of Significance:
1937
Level of Significance:
Local
Area of Significance:
Architecture
National Register Determination:
listed
Date of Certification:
January 20 1995
