Federal Land Bank Building

National Register Listing

Street Address:

1401 Hampton St., Columbia, SC (Richland County)

Alternate Name:

AgFirst Building

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NRHP Nomination

Record Number:

S10817740159

Description and Narrative:

The Federal Land Bank Building, constructed in 1924 and expanded in 1935, is significant for commerce as a district headquarters of the Federal Land Bank. One of twelve district headquarters in the United States, the headquarters in Columbia provided federal financial support to struggling farmers throughout the Third District, composed of South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. The Federal Land Bank Building is also significant under architecture as an example of Classic Revival public buildings designed by prominent architects A. Ten Eyck Brown (original, three-story 1924 construction) and Columbia-based South Carolina firm Lafaye and Lafaye (five-story, 1935 addition). The building’s successive construction dates reflect changing ideas about the aesthetics of and practical demands placed on public architecture in the 1920s and 1930s. Because the building continuously served as offices for related financial institutions throughout its ninety-year history, it has undergone little alteration. The present building maintains a high degree of architectural integrity and many characteristic elements of the building’s original design remain, including the coffered ceilings, intricate cornice, stone balusters, pilasters, interior vaults, bronze pediment doors, and double-hung wooden sash windows. Listed in the National Register February 3, 2015.

Period of Significance:

1923 – 1935;1923 – 1924;1935

Level of Significance:

Local;State

Area of Significance:

Commerce;Architecture

National Register Determination:

listed

Date of Certification:

February 3 2015

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