Old Greenville City Hall

Old Greenville City Hall is a former building in Greenville, South Carolina, originally built as the U.S. Courthouse and Post Office in 1889 on the corner of Main and Broad Streets. Transferred to the city of Greenville in 1938, it served as Greenville city hall. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on August 19, 1971,[2][3] and was removed in 1973 after its demolition.[1][3]

Greenville City Hall
An old Romanesque building
Old Greenville City Hall
Old Greenville City Hall is located in South Carolina
Old Greenville City Hall
Old Greenville City Hall is located in the United States
Old Greenville City Hall
LocationMain and Broad Sts., Greenville, South Carolina
Coordinates34°50′52″N 82°24′2″W
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1889
ArchitectWindrim, James H.
Architectural styleRomanesque, Richardsonian Romanesque
NRHP reference No.71001067[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPAugust 19, 1971[2]
Removed from NRHPJanuary 1, 1973

History

The courthouse and post office was designed by James H. Windrim, who was Supervisory Architect for the United States Department of the Treasury.[2][4] and built on the site of the home of Colonel David Hoke.[5] The resident architect for the construction was James R. Lawrence, who moved from Port Huron, Michigan, to complete the project.[2]

In 1909, James Knox Taylor was the Supervisory Architect for an addition to its north side. More alterations or minor additions were made in 1923, 1924, 1927, 1929, and 1931.[2]

The U.S. Circuit Court for the Western District of South Carolina met here until 1898. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of South Carolina met here until 1937.[4]

The city of Greenville traded the federal government a parcel of land on East Washington Street for the courthouse. After construction of a new post office on that parcel, the building became Greenville City Hall in 1938.[5]

A new city hall was built on an adjoining lot formerly occupied by a Masonic Temple, the Old City Hall was demolished in 1973, and a parking garage was built on its site[5] across Broad Street from the Peace Center.

Architecture
U.S. Court House and Post Office from a ca. 1910 postcard showing the addition

The two-story building was designed in Richardsonian Romanesque style with a red tiled roof, castellated towers, and precast terracotta insets. The foyer had pink marble floors and the staircase that led to the tower was designed with half-turns on its landings. The building has been compared to the Smithsonian Castle.[2]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. "Greenville City Hall" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form. South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Retrieved April 28, 2010.
  3. "Greenville City Hall, Greenville and Broad Sts., Greenville)". National Register Properties in South Carolina. South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Retrieved April 28, 2010.
  4. "Greenville, South Carolina". Historic Courthouses. Federal Judicial Center. Retrieved April 29, 2010.
  5. Willis, Jeffrey R. (2003). Remembering Greenville: Photographs from the Coxe Collection. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. pp. 6, 14. ISBN 0-7385-1566-3.

See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1889 Greenville City Hall.
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