South Carolina Governor's Mansion
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South Carolina Governor's Mansion
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| Location | 800 Richland St., Columbia, Richland County, South Carolina |
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| Coordinates | 34°0′28″N 81°2′37″W / 34.00778°N 81.04361°WCoordinates: 34°0′28″N 81°2′37″W / 34.00778°N 81.04361°W |
| Area | 8 acres (3.2 ha) |
| Built | 1855 |
| Architect | attributed to George Edward Walker |
| Architectural style | Federal; post-colonial |
| Part of | Columbia Historic District I (#71000798) |
| NRHP Reference # | 70000597 |
The South Carolina Governor's Mansion (or the South Carolina Executive Mansion) is a historic U.S. 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 originally served as faculty quarters for the Arsenal Academy which together with the Citadel Academy in Charleston formed The South Carolina Military Academy (now The Citadel). The Arsenal was burned along with the city of Columbia by Sherman's forces in February, 1865; the structure was the only surviving building and 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. Scott Bolser oversees maintenance of the historic grounds at the mansion. 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). It is located in Columbia Historic District I.
The mansion is currently occupied by Governor Henry McMaster and his family.
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 originally served as housing for officers as part of the state-supported Arsenal Military Academy; Columbia was burned by the Union Army 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.
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