South Carolina Governor's Mansion
Encyclopedia
The South Carolina Governor's Mansion (or the South Carolina Executive Mansion) is a historic U.S.
governor's mansion
in the Arsenal Hill
neighborhood of Columbia
, South Carolina
and the official residence of the Governor of South Carolina
. It is a Federal
style home influenced by British Colonial plantations. The building has a white stucco
exterior and was originally part of Arsenal Academy, a state military school. The academy closed because of the American Civil War
, the city of Columbia burned in 1865 and the mansion was the only surviving building of the school. The house became South Carolina's executive mansion in 1868. On June 5, 1970, the building was registered with the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The mansion is located on a single city block, and is surrounded by magnolia
plants, elm
and oak
trees, and various other plants. It is accessed by a circular driveway around a fountain in front on the residence's main entrance. The building has a flat roof and a large central pavilion around the main entrance. The mansion has 15 rooms (excluding powder rooms, security and staff offices, and the kitchen).
commanded by William Tecumseh Sherman
in 1865. The mansion was the only surviving building of the former academy complex. Governor James L. Orr designated the building as the official state governor's mansion in 1868. In 1869, $2,500 was used by local architect A. Y. Lee to make the property suitable as an executive residence. However, the money was depleted before the renovation was completed and Governor Robert K. Scott had to relocate into an unfinished house. Since 1868, only three governors of the state have not lived in the mansion, staying instead in their own private residences within Columbia. The first to do so, Daniel Henry Chamberlain
, lived in a nearby mansion, most likely because the governor's mansion was in disrepair. The state leased the official residence to a private family who used it as a boardinghouse. Later, in 1886, Governor John Peter Richardson III
donated $2,700 to make significant modifications to the building.
during the term of Donald S. Russell
, as well as work to improve the building's structural integrity and a complete interior renovation, part of which was funded by the Russells' personal funds. Russell was actually forced to live in one half of the house due to incorrectly installed beams in the ceiling of the drawing room
. A single-story guest wing and family dining area was added to the building during the term of Ernest F. Hollings. Governor Robert E. McNair formed a Governor's Mansion Committee, managed by his wife, Josephine McNair. The committee was able to obtain numerous items related to South Carolina's culture and history for the furnishing of the mansion. The commission purchased the adjacent Lace House for $67,000 in 1968, creating the Governor's Mansion Complex. In 1970, the South Carolina state legislature gave the commission the power to review improvements to the complex. In 1977, Ann Edwards, the governor's wife, initiated the Governor's Mansion Foundation, a not-for-profit organization to raise funds to pay for the mansion's historic furnishings. At the same time, the neighboring Caldwell-Boylston House was purchased, which, along with the Lace House, now provides office area, a gift shop, meeting space, and entertainment space. In 1986, all three buildings were connected by a landscaping project, making a 9 acres (36,421.7 m²) complex.
In 1988, more structural defects were exposed from previous repairs, but plans to renovate yet again were not made quickly. During the term of Carroll A. Campbell, the only significant additions to the complex were that of a new guardhouse
and second fountain. The renovation project began while David M. Beasley was governor, but was not completed until 2001, with a total cost of over $6 million, which exceeded the $3.7 million allocated by the state. Governor James H. Hodges became the first governor in 120 years not to live in the mansion in 1999.
announced that, as a result of a $150,000 budget deficit, the mansion would have to be closed for several months. Sanford said that the state could not afford to pay for the mansion's employees, utilities, and food. He also accused the previous governor, Hodges, of overspending and ending the employment of prison inmates as butlers and maids (after allegations of sexual misconduct between inmates while working at the mansion in 2001), causing the state to have to pay for 11 employees. He also criticized the former governor for misappropriating $100,000 in other funding for the mansion two days before leaving office. However, Hodges said that the money assigned for the mansion had never been enough and that it was usual to use other funds to help maintain the residence. Sanford supporter John Rainey established a relief fund to help the building stay operational. A local company, Adluh Flour, donated grits
and other wheat and corn products to the governor. In 2008, improvements to make the building more energy-efficient were completed.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
governor's mansion
Governor's Mansion
Governor's Mansionis a common term for the official residence of a U.S. state governor, and is used in other places, tooin India* Portuguese Governor’s Mansion, Pondicherry, Indiain Russia...
in the Arsenal Hill
Arsenal Hill (Columbia)
Arsenal Hill is a neighborhood located in Columbia, South Carolina. Arsenal Hill was one of the first residential neighborhoods in the city and was the site of an arsenal during the Civil War. The South Carolina Governor's Mansion is located in Arsenal Hill...
neighborhood of Columbia
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
and the official residence of the Governor of South Carolina
Governor of South Carolina
The Governor of the State of South Carolina is the head of state for the State of South Carolina. Under the South Carolina Constitution, the Governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the South Carolina executive branch. The Governor is the ex officio...
. It is a Federal
Federal architecture
Federal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the United States between c. 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815. This style shares its name with its era, the Federal Period. The name Federal style is also used in association with furniture design...
style home influenced by British Colonial plantations. The building has a white stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
exterior and was originally part of Arsenal Academy, a state military school. The academy closed because of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the city of Columbia burned in 1865 and the mansion was the only surviving building of the school. The house became South Carolina's executive mansion in 1868. On June 5, 1970, the building was registered with the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The mansion is located on a single city block, and is surrounded by magnolia
Magnolia
Magnolia is a large genus of about 210 flowering plant species in the subfamily Magnolioideae of the family Magnoliaceae. It is named after French botanist Pierre Magnol....
plants, elm
Elm
Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus in the plant family Ulmaceae. The dozens of species are found in temperate and tropical-montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ranging southward into Indonesia. Elms are components of many kinds of natural forests...
and oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
trees, and various other plants. It is accessed by a circular driveway around a fountain in front on the residence's main entrance. The building has a flat roof and a large central pavilion around the main entrance. The mansion has 15 rooms (excluding powder rooms, security and staff offices, and the kitchen).
1800s
It is unknown who the building's original architect was, but George Edward Walker, who designed other buildings in the area is believed to have constructed the mansion. The mansion served as housing for officers as part of the state-supported Arsenal Military Academy until it closed in 1863. Much of Columbia was burned by a fire spread by winds during the invasion of the city by the Union ArmyUnion Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
commanded by William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman was an American soldier, businessman, educator and author. He served as a General in the Union Army during the American Civil War , for which he received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the "scorched...
in 1865. The mansion was the only surviving building of the former academy complex. Governor James L. Orr designated the building as the official state governor's mansion in 1868. In 1869, $2,500 was used by local architect A. Y. Lee to make the property suitable as an executive residence. However, the money was depleted before the renovation was completed and Governor Robert K. Scott had to relocate into an unfinished house. Since 1868, only three governors of the state have not lived in the mansion, staying instead in their own private residences within Columbia. The first to do so, Daniel Henry Chamberlain
Daniel Henry Chamberlain
Daniel Henry Chamberlain was a planter, lawyer, author and the 76th Governor of South Carolina from 1874 until 1877....
, lived in a nearby mansion, most likely because the governor's mansion was in disrepair. The state leased the official residence to a private family who used it as a boardinghouse. Later, in 1886, Governor John Peter Richardson III
John Peter Richardson III
John Peter Richardson III was the 83rd Governor of South Carolina from 1886 to 1890.Richardson was born in Clarendon County, South Carolina to John Peter Richardson II, a former Governor of South Carolina, and Juliana Augusta Manning. After graduating from South Carolina College in 1849,...
donated $2,700 to make significant modifications to the building.
1900s
The building had demonstrated severe structural defects by the end of the 1940s, but only in 1955 did repairs begin, causing George Timmerman and his family to abandon the mansion for one year. The residence received significant landscaping improvements, a driveway, and a walled courtyardCourtyard
A court or courtyard is an enclosed area, often a space enclosed by a building that is open to the sky. These areas in inns and public buildings were often the primary meeting places for some purposes, leading to the other meanings of court....
during the term of Donald S. Russell
Donald S. Russell
Donald Stuart Russell was a Democratic Senator from South Carolina. He served from 1965 to 1966. He also served as the 107th Governor of South Carolina, 1963-1965. Russell was a protege of former Secretary of State James F. Byrnes and served as Assistant Secretary of State for Administration...
, as well as work to improve the building's structural integrity and a complete interior renovation, part of which was funded by the Russells' personal funds. Russell was actually forced to live in one half of the house due to incorrectly installed beams in the ceiling of the drawing room
Drawing room
A drawing room is a room in a house where visitors may be entertained. The name is derived from the sixteenth-century terms "withdrawing room" and "withdrawing chamber", which remained in use through the seventeenth century, and made its first written appearance in 1642...
. A single-story guest wing and family dining area was added to the building during the term of Ernest F. Hollings. Governor Robert E. McNair formed a Governor's Mansion Committee, managed by his wife, Josephine McNair. The committee was able to obtain numerous items related to South Carolina's culture and history for the furnishing of the mansion. The commission purchased the adjacent Lace House for $67,000 in 1968, creating the Governor's Mansion Complex. In 1970, the South Carolina state legislature gave the commission the power to review improvements to the complex. In 1977, Ann Edwards, the governor's wife, initiated the Governor's Mansion Foundation, a not-for-profit organization to raise funds to pay for the mansion's historic furnishings. At the same time, the neighboring Caldwell-Boylston House was purchased, which, along with the Lace House, now provides office area, a gift shop, meeting space, and entertainment space. In 1986, all three buildings were connected by a landscaping project, making a 9 acres (36,421.7 m²) complex.
In 1988, more structural defects were exposed from previous repairs, but plans to renovate yet again were not made quickly. During the term of Carroll A. Campbell, the only significant additions to the complex were that of a new guardhouse
Guardhouse
A guardhouse is a building used to house personnel and security equipment...
and second fountain. The renovation project began while David M. Beasley was governor, but was not completed until 2001, with a total cost of over $6 million, which exceeded the $3.7 million allocated by the state. Governor James H. Hodges became the first governor in 120 years not to live in the mansion in 1999.
2000s
In 2003, Governor Mark SanfordMark Sanford
Marshall Clement "Mark" Sanford Jr. is an American politician from South Carolina, who was the 115th Governor of South Carolina from 2003 to 2011....
announced that, as a result of a $150,000 budget deficit, the mansion would have to be closed for several months. Sanford said that the state could not afford to pay for the mansion's employees, utilities, and food. He also accused the previous governor, Hodges, of overspending and ending the employment of prison inmates as butlers and maids (after allegations of sexual misconduct between inmates while working at the mansion in 2001), causing the state to have to pay for 11 employees. He also criticized the former governor for misappropriating $100,000 in other funding for the mansion two days before leaving office. However, Hodges said that the money assigned for the mansion had never been enough and that it was usual to use other funds to help maintain the residence. Sanford supporter John Rainey established a relief fund to help the building stay operational. A local company, Adluh Flour, donated grits
Grits
Grits are a food of American Indian origin common in the Southern United States and mainly eaten at breakfast. They consist of coarsely ground corn, or sometimes alkali-treated corn . They are also sometimes called sofkee or sofkey from the Muskogee language word...
and other wheat and corn products to the governor. In 2008, improvements to make the building more energy-efficient were completed.