Governor's Mansion, 800 Richland Street, Columbia

Source document Quoted word for word from HALS SC-10. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

800 Richland Street, Columbia, Richland County, South Carolina Bounded by:Calhoun St. to the North; Lincoln St. to the East; Laurel St. to the South; Gadsden St. to the West In historic Arsenal Hill neighborhood of Columbia, South Carolina (Center of Governor s Mansion Garden, Google Earth Simple Cylindrical Projection,

Source document Quoted word for word from HALS SC-10. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The gardens are significant for their association with the families who historically owned the property and for their proximity and association with the Governor s Mansion itself. The Caldwell, Hampton and Boylston families owned one house and garden within the property, and had significance in South Carolina politics. The gardens were a significant social gathering space. The state Tricentennial Celebration was held at the gardens in Landscape architect Robert Marvin worked on the Garden in Description: The Governor s Mansion gardens are nestled within major thoroughfares which creates a dense forest within a city block. The nine acre grounds are fenced in by wrought-iron pickets from Columbia s old Palmetto Iron Works.

The area is divided into the Mansion Mall, where the focal point is an elaborate fountain and pool, and the Lace House and Caldwell-Boylston House gardens which are a fine example of mid-to-late nineteenth century formal gardens. The mansion and other historic homes are shaded by a collection of some the largest and best examples of South Carolina s magnolias, oaks, and elms. Live oaks form a canopy above the formal gardens in between the Lace and Caldwell-Boylston Houses. In plan, the garden is four tiers and features rectangular boxwood enclosed beds. Pea gravel paths are in their original place, though the garden has evolved otherwise from due to changing styles. Other paths are brick or a form of slate tile.

The garden plan assigned different rooms or functions to each parterre, all primarily for entertaining. The boxwood parterre is fronted by trees that date back 150 years and the space functions as an open entertainment area. The central pergola is covered in Lady Bank s rose and separates one room from the other. The tiers display an excellent example of a well maintained boxwood garden, complete with crepe myrtle and camellia thoroughfares. These thoroughfares GOVERNOR S MANSION HALS NO. PAGE 2 generally lead to an axis point of a fountain or statue. Another thoroughfare near the Caldwell-Boylston House is a pergola covered in Lady Bank s rose and bordered by boxwoods. The focal point of the garden is a three-tiered fountain and pool, found at the front, or north-east end of the property.

History: The structure of the Governor s Mansion was originally built in The garden, assumed to have been built sometime after the structure, is partially fenced in by a wrought-iron picket fence. This fence was made at Columbia s old Palmetto Iron Works, which was burned during the Civil War. A large amount of the landscaping improvements, along with an addition of the walled, brick-paved courtyard, are attributing to Governor Donald S.

Russell The gardens associated with the Caldwell-Hampton-Boylston House are suggested to have been created around The house and gardens were purchased by Sarah Porter Smith in She began working with the landscape, as well as adding formal boxwood arrangements, shady arbors, walls and statuary with azaleas, camellias and dogwoods; as well as installing rare shrubs and trees. For Smith, as well as her niece, Sarah Porter Boylston, the landscape became the setting for socializing and extravagant garden parties. These gardens were restored by the Richland County Historic Preservation Commission after their acquiring the property in The Tricentennial of the State of South Carolina was held on the grounds in The landscape was further restored in the by Robert E. Marvin.

Source document Quoted word for word from HALS SC-10. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

National Register of Historic Places, Caldwell-Hampton-Boylston House, Columbia, Richland County, South Carolina, National Register National Register of Historic Places, Lace House, Columbia, Richland County, South Carolina, National Register National Register of Historic Places, Governor s Mansion, Columbia, Richland County, South Carolina, National Register

Source document Quoted word for word from HALS SC-10. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Haley Schriber, Amanda Jane Ashburn, Jessica Fortney Students with Clemson University/College of Charleston 292 Meeting Street Charleston, SC Andrew Kohr, Faculty Sponsor March 9, Entry HALS Challenge: Documenting Modernist Landscapes GOVERNOR S MANSION HALS NO. PAGE 3 The three tiered fountain is a center piece of the boxwood garden. This fountain is exemplary of the many water features on the grounds. (Schriber, The grounds feature a large amount of seating. These secluded benches offer a private place for experiencing the landscape. (Schriber, GOVERNOR S MANSION HALS NO. PAGE 4 The boxwood gardens are a distinct feature of the Governor s Mansion landscape. (Schriber, The individual garden areas are each separated by some form of wall or fence. (Schriber,