Union Station
401 S. Main St., Columbia, South Carolina
Historic railroad depot gets a second chance at life
Map
Description
Built in 1902, this station served both Southern Railway and Atlantic Coast Line while a seperate station served Seaboard Air Line about a mile away. After it's last passenger train pulled out in 1968, the station eventually get a second lease on life as a California Dreaming.A baggage facility burned down in 1977 on the Assembly Road side.
Designed by Frank P. Milburn, a prominent Southeastern architect, the ca. 1902 Union Station is an excellent example of turn of the century eclectic architecture. Inspired by English Manor House designs of the sixteenth century, the stepped gables, the combination of brick and stone, and the towering chimneys place the building within the mainstream of Jacobethan Revival architecture in America. Milburn’s specialty was large public buildings. He also designed railway stations for New Orleans, Atlanta, Savannah and Knoxville. Milburn’s architectural credo was the progressive cry of his day – to erect “artistic as well as durable buildings.” He insisted upon using only materials of the highest quality and accepted only the finest workmanship. The attention given to decorative details in Union Station, such as the carved wooden brackets, the oriental inspired ironwork, and the acanthus capitals, displays Milburn’s emphasis on quality of design and materials. Without sacrificing design or proportion, Milburn created a functional structure for railroad travel at the beginning of the twentieth century. The building was open to the public on January 14, 1902. Listed in the National Register June 19, 1973. - SCDHA
National Register information
- Status
- Posted to the National Register of Historic Places on June 19, 1973
- Reference number
- 73001728
- Architectural styles
- Late 19th and 20th Century Revival: Tudor Revival; Other architectural type; Jacobethan Revival
- Areas of significance
- Transportation; Architecture
- Level of significance
- State
- Evaluation criteria
- A - Event; C - Design/Construction
- Property type
- Building
- Historic function
- Rail-related
- Current function
- Rail-related
- Period of significance
- 1900-1924
- Significant years
- 1902; 1915
- Number of properties
- Contributing buildings: 2
Update Log
- October 20, 2014: Updated by Michael Miller: Added "Description"
- June 7, 2013: Photo imported by Joseph Hinson
- February 26, 2013: Photo imported by Joseph Hinson
- January 15, 2013: Photo imported by Joseph Hinson
- January 14, 2013: Updated by Joseph Hinson: Added several links to historical photos of Union Station
- December 21, 2012: Updated by Joseph Hinson: Added new source
- December 20, 2012: New Street View added by Joseph Hinson
- December 5, 2012: Updated by Joseph Hinson: Updated history and added photos
Sources
- Joseph Hinson - joethephotog [at] yahoo [dot] com
- South Carolina RR Structures -- Columbia, SC Union Station - More old time photos dating back to 1905.
- Undated Photograph of Union Station - South Caroliniana Library
- Undated photograph of Union Station - South Caroliniana Library
- Undated Photograph of Union Station - South Caroliniana Library
- 1962 Photograph of Union Station - South Caroliniana Library
- 1952 Photograph of Union Station - South Caroliniana Library
- 1954 Photograph of Union Station - South Caroliniana Library
- American Rails: Railroad Depots - Lists all of the depots and stations that still stand in South Carolina as of 2013.
- 1954 Photograph of Union Station - South Caroliniana Library
- Michael Miller - michael_a_miller [at] yahoo [dot] com
- South Carolina Department of Archives and History
- National Register database - Reference number 73001728
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