Columbia High School

National Register Listing

Street Address:

1323 Washington Street, Columbia, SC (Richland County)

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NRHP Nomination

Record Number:

S10817740999

Description and Narrative:

The Columbia High School was constructed in 1915 according to the design of Urquhart and Johnson, Architects of Columbia. Designed in what the architects described as “Collegiate Italian Renaissance” style, the building was a three-story brick structure, surmounted by an ornamental stone balustrade. A deep belt of stone extended around the base of the building and a stone stringcourse delineated the division between the first and second floors. Another stringcourse of stone with ornamental garlands combined with a brick blind arcade to highlight the third story. The front façade was broken in to five bays, with the central and two ends bays projecting slightly. The main entrance was located in an arcaded recessed gallery located on the second floor of the front façade and was accessed by two flights of granite steps. Columbia High School was significant due its link with education in Columbia, situated on the site of the Columbia Female Academy, an educational institution founded in the 1820s. The school served the public educational needs of downtown Columbia until it’s closing in 1976 and for many years was the only major public high school in downtown Columbia. Listed in the National Register in 1980. It has since been demolished and removed from the National Register.

Period of Significance:

1915

Area of Significance:

Education

National Register Determination:

removed from National Register

Date of Certification:

January 1 1980

Date of Removal from the Register:

December 12 1989

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