Midtown - Downtown in Columbia in Richland County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Hampton - Preston House
Erected 1938 by The Columbia Sesquicentennial Commission of 1936. (Marker Number 40-7.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Buildings. A significant historical year for this entry is 1818.
Location. 34° 0.619′ N, 81° 1.764′ W. Marker is in Columbia, South Carolina, in Richland County. It is in Midtown - Downtown. Marker is on Blanding Street. Located between Henderson Street and Pickens Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Columbia SC 29201, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Columbia Bible College, 1937-1960 / Westervelt Home, 1930 - 1937 (a few steps from this marker); Former Site of Columbia Theological Seminary (a few steps from this marker); Original Site of Winthrop College (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Site of Columbia Male Academy (about 500 feet away); Church of the Good Shepard (about 600 feet away); Columbia Civil Rights Sit-Ins/Barr v. City of Columbia (1964) (about 700 feet away); Palmetto Education Association (about 800 feet away); Colonel Thomas Taylor (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Columbia.
Regarding Hampton - Preston House. The Hampton-Preston House is a handsome city mansion that was built in 1818 by Ainsley Hall, a Columbia merchant. Robert Yates was the contractor and Zachariah Philips served in the capacity of architect. Hall sold the house to the first Wade Hampton, fighter in the American Revolution and general in the War of 1812, planter, businessman, developer of the American West. His son, Wade Hampton II, lived in the house as did Wade Hampton III, the Civil War general, and state governor. The house is also associated with leading South Carolinian and state senator, John S. Preston. The South Carolina Presbyterian Institute for Young Ladies, later Chicora College, acquired the mansion in 1890. The house is of a post-Colonial, Classical Revival style, having a broad veranda across the front with Doric columns and a fanlight above. Inside is a sweeping circular stairway with mahogany rails. A crystal chandelier hangs in the middle of the hall. The rooms are spacious, and one is adorned with a white marble mantel by the sculptor Hiram Powers. The gardens covered a city block and were known throughout the state, but have been plowed under and felled, later becoming a parking lot. Listed in the National Register July 29, 1969.
(South Carolina Department of Archives and History)
National Register of Historic Places:
Hampton-Preston House ** (added 1969 - - #69000172)
♦ Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering, Person
♦ Architect, builder, or engineer: Yates,Robert, Philips,Zachariah
♦ Architectural Style: Other
♦ Historic Person: Preston, John S.
♦ Significant Year: 1818
♦ Area of Significance: Education, Politics/Government, Landscape Architecture, Religion
♦ Period of Significance: 1875-1899, 1850-1874, 1825-1849, 1825-1849
♦ Owner: State
♦ Historic Function: Domestic
♦ Historic Sub-function: Single Dwelling
Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 26, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 1,439 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on February 26, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. 5. submitted on May 14, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. 6. submitted on February 26, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.