Midtown - Downtown in Columbia in Richland County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

R.L. Bryan Co. Warehouse

Photographed by Jeff Leichsenring, June 15, 2025

1. R.L. Bryan Co. Warehouse Marker

Inscription. (Front)
This warehouse was built in 1913 as the schoolbook depository for the R.L. Bryan Company. The company, founded in 1844 by R.L. Bryan (1823-1900) and his brother-in-law James J. McCarter (d. 1872), was originally a bookstore and stationery shop on Main St. known as Bryan & McCarter. In 1900 R.L. Bryan & Company merged with the Bryan Printing Company, founded in 1889, to become the R.L. Bryan Company.

(Reverse)
In 1901 the S.C. General Assembly, in an effort to improve public education, adopted standardized texts. The R.L. Bryan Company, selected as the statewide distributor, used this building as its depository and warehouse from 1913 to 1973. In 1976 the building was renovated and opened as a restaurant, in one of the first examples of the adaptive reuse of historic buildings in this part of Columbia.

Erected 2003 by The Historic Columbia Foundation. (Marker Number 40-128.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Buildings. A significant historical year for this entry is 1913.

Location. 34° 0.048′ N, 81° 2.426′ W. Marker is in Columbia, South Carolina, in Richland County. It is in Midtown - Downtown. It is on Lady Street near Gadsden Street, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Columbia SC 29201, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Midlands.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers.

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At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: History of the Lincoln Street Tunnel (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); A Living Sanctuary: Zion Baptist Church and Columbia's Civil Rights Struggle (about 500 feet away); Zion Baptist Church (about 500 feet away); DuPre Building (about 500 feet away); Seaboard Air-Line Railway Station #2 (about 600 feet away); Seaboard Air Line Passenger Depot (about 600 feet away); Gadsden Street (about 600 feet away); Seaboard Air-Line Railway Station #1 (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Columbia.

Photographed by Mike Stroud, 2010

2. R.L. Bryan Co. Warehouse Marker

R.L. Bryan Co. Warehouse Marker, reverse side image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Stroud, February 28, 2010

3. R.L. Bryan Co. Warehouse Marker, reverse side

R.L. Bryan Co. Warehouse Marker, looking east on Lady Street image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Stroud, February 28, 2010

4. R.L. Bryan Co. Warehouse Marker, looking east on Lady Street

Photographed by Mike Stroud, February 28, 2010

5. R.L. Bryan Co. Warehouse Marker

Photographed by Mike Stroud, February 28, 2010

6. R.L. Bryan Co. Warehouse Marker

Photographed by Jeff Leichsenring, June 15, 2025

7. R.L. Bryan Co. Warehouse Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on June 24, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 13, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 1,568 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on June 17, 2025, by Jeff Leichsenring of Garland, Texas. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on April 13, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. 7. submitted on June 17, 2025, by Jeff Leichsenring of Garland, Texas. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.