A Gateway into a Privileged World

A Gateway into a Privileged World. . , For more than a century, an eight-foot-tall brick wall surrounded this property on three sides. Most people could only glimpse the densely planted gardens through the cast-iron fence running along Walnut (today Blanding) Street. Sometime between 1823 and 1865, the Hamptons and Prestons had a "summer house" built at this location. This rustic structure allowed guests to visit the gardens without entering through the estate's front gates. Commercial development in 1949 destroyed this unique garden structure, which had long served as a gateway into a largely hidden world., [Captions:] , Students at the College for Women, ca. 1892 , There are many historic photographs of the garden as it appeared from the 1870s through the 1930s. However, only three have been found that include the original "summer house." This one of students near the structure reveals details about its appearance and composition that informed the design of today's modern interpretation, made possible through generous support from the Darnall W. and Susan F. Boyd Foundation, Inc., The Sanborn Fire Insurance Company's maps of Columbia from 1904 including depictions on the circular, wood frame "summer house" at this property and of several such structures on the State Hospital's grounds, located two blocks north.