Greyhound Bus Depot (Columbia, South Carolina)

The Greyhound Bus Depot is a former Greyhound Lines intercity bus station in Columbia, South Carolina.[3] It is at 1200 Blanding Street in downtown Columbia. The depot was named to the National Register of Historic Places on December 28, 1989.[2][4] After the bus terminal was closed, the building became a bank. Currently, it is a physician's office.[5]

Greyhound Bus Depot
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
Greyhound Bus Station in 1986
Location	1200 Blanding St., Columbia, South Carolina
Coordinates	34°0′29″N 81°2′8″W
Built	1938
Architect	Brown, George D.
Architectural style	Streamline Moderne
Part of	Columbia Commercial Historic District[1] (ID14000875)
MPS	Columbia MRA
NRHP reference No.	82005383[2]
Added to NRHP	December 28, 1989

History

The building was constructed in 1938 and 1939 for Atlantic Greyhound Lines.[3][5] The bus station was closed in 1987. In 1990, it was acquired by Lexington National Bank. They used the ticket windows as teller windows. After the bank left in 2000, the building was vacant. In 2005, the building was adapted for a plastic surgeon.[5][6][7] Since 2014, the building has been a contributing property in the Columbia Commercial Historic District,[1] which was listed on the NRHP on October 20, 2014.[8]

Architecture

The depot is an island-type station designed by George D. Brown in the Art Moderne or Streamline Moderne style, which grew out of the industrial design work of Norman Bel Geddes, Henry Dreyfuss, and Raymond Loewy. These designs emphasized a streamlined shape with minimal ornamentation.[3]

The building has a reinforced concrete foundation and a structural steel frame. The east, west, and north elevations have three horizontal bands and rounded corners. The lower band is blue stucco. The middle band is glass block. The top band is blue and ivory Vitrolite panels. The north elevation on Blanding Street has four ivory Vitrolite columns extending through the canopy over the five entrance doors.[3]

The vertical sign above the entrance was constructed of aluminum with stainless-steel trim. The sign was capped with the iconic "running greyhound" logo of the bus company. The letters in the words "Greyhound Bus Depot" and the running greyhound were outlined with neon tubing.[3]

The original interior had a terrazzo floors, plaster walls, and wainscoting. The waiting room had a skylight for additional, natural lighting.[3]

In its current use as a plastic surgeon's office, the exterior remains the same with the exception of the sign, which no longer has the Greyhound name or logo. The interior was redone with a patient waiting room, consultation room, a surgery suite, recovery rooms, and offices.[5][9]

References

1. Childress, Jessie (April 30, 2014). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Columbia Commercial Historic District" (PDF). National Park Service. Section 8, p. 13. Retrieved June 27, 2015..
2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
3. "Historic Greyhound Bus Depot" (pdf). National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form. National Park Service. Retrieved 20 July 2009.
4. "Greyhound Bus Depot, Richland County (1200 Blanding St., Columbia)". National Register Properties in South Carolina. South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Retrieved 20 July 2009.
5. Seltzer, Debra Jane. "Greyhound Bus Stations: South Carolina". Roadside Architecture. Debra Jane's Home Page. Archived from the original on 17 May 2007. Retrieved 21 July 2009.
6. Phillips, Noelle (27 November 2004). "Columbia, S.C., surgeon to renovate historic Greyhound station as offices". The State. Columbia, South Carolina: Knight Ridder. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
7. Phillips, Noelle (November 2004). "Columbia, S.C., surgeon to renovate historic Greyhound station as offices". Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. Columbia, South Carolina: Knight Ridder. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
8. "Weekly Feature: Columbia Commercial Historic District". National Park Service. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
9. Plastic Surgery Consultants. "Our New Location". Retrieved 7 September 2009.

External links