McBride's Office Supply
National Register Listing
Street Address:
832 Wade Hampton Blvd., Greenville (Greenville County)
Alternate Name:
Herald Office Supply, Proper Executive Offices
NRHP Nomination
Record Number:
S10817723097
Description and Narrative:
McBride’s Office Supply was built in 1962 and is listed in the National Register under Architecture as an important local example of a Modernist commercial building influenced by the Googie style. Designed by the Greenville firm of Townes and Murphy, the one-story building with a basement occupies a sloping lot along Wade Hampton Boulevard (U.S. Highway 29), constructed in the 1940s to connect the core of Greenville to suburban areas that developed in response to the city’s expansion during the mid-twentieth century. The construction of a new building on Wade Hampton Boulevard provided the owners of the McBride’s Office Supply business with a new, highly visible, eye-catching commercial space that drew upon principles of the Modern architectural movement and reflected the aesthetics of the mid-century period. A flat perforated metal canopy extends over the entrance doors on both the exterior and interior, matching the form and placement of the original plywood canopy. The original hollow steel doors feature boomerang door pulls on the exterior and half-pear push plates on the interior. Terrazzo flooring and zigzag exposed steel trusses are expressed on the interior and exterior of the building. The distinctive off-center sign panels, which replicate the size, position, and font of the originals, break up the flat roofline. Conveniently sited in a growing section of Greenville, McBride’s Office Supply is an important representation of how the city’s post-World War II development manifested itself through new design trends in its built environment. The period of significance for McBride’s Office Supply is 1962, the year the building was constructed and opened to the public. Listed in the National Register September 16, 2024.
Period of Significance:
1962
Level of Significance:
Local
Area of Significance:
Architecture
National Register Determination:
listed
Date of Certification:
September 16 2024
