SOUTH CAROLINA STATE MUSEUM

COLUMBIA, SC

Groundhog Day on the Saluda
Groundhog Day on the Saluda Credit: Light touches surface

The South Carolina State Museum is located in Columbia, South Carolina, and is the largest museum in the state. It was established in 1988 and is housed in a 225,000 square foot facility. The museum is dedicated to promoting the state's history, natural resources, art, and science.

The museum features four floors of exhibits, including a planetarium, an observatory, a 4D theater, and interactive exhibits. The first floor is dedicated to the state's natural history and features displays on the state's diverse ecosystems, including its coastline, mountains, and swamps. The second floor focuses on the state's cultural history, including exhibits on the Native American tribes that lived in the area, the state's role in the Civil War, and its role in the Civil Rights movement.

The third floor is dedicated to science and technology and features exhibits on space exploration, robotics, and renewable energy. The fourth floor houses the museum's art collection, which includes works by South Carolina artists and a rotating selection of traveling exhibits.

In addition to its exhibits, the South Carolina State Museum also hosts a variety of educational programs and events throughout the year, including summer camps, workshops, and lectures. The museum is a popular destination for tourists and locals alike and is a must-visit for anyone interested in South Carolina's rich history and culture.

SOUTH CAROLINA STATE MUSEUM is a Uncategorized or General Museum in COLUMBIA SC. US MID #8404500011

The museum is classed as GMU (Uncategorized or General Museums). It comes under American Alliance of Museums (AAM) region: Southeastern (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia).

Groundhog Day on the Saluda
Winter flows along
Journal in hand, looking for inspiration
Tapp’s Building, Main Street and Blanding Street, Columbia, SC Built in 1940 and expanded in 1952 with the addition of two stories to the roof, this Art Moderne-style building was designed by Lafaye, Lafaye and Fair and E. Paul Behles for a department store run by James L. Tapp. The building features a stucco-clad facade with dark panel cladding at the base, a curtain wall at the second and third floors of the front facade above the front entrance, a clock, metal canopy, and Art Deco-style sign on the facade above the front entrance, large plate glass windows on the first floor, and one-over-one windows and casement windows on the upper floors of the side and rear facades. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and is a contributing structure in the Columbia Commercial Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014, and increased to its present size in 2021. The building was rehabilitated in 2003, and today, houses an arts center on the first floor, and apartments on the upper floors.
Former Greyhound Bus Station, Blanding Street, Columbia, SC Built in 1938-1939, this Streamline Moderne-style building was designed by George D. Brown to serve as a Greyhound Bus Station, based on the plans developed for the company by Industrial Designer Raymond Loewy in 1933. The building is similar to other bus stations built by Greyhound in mid-sized cities across the United States. It remained in use as a Greyhound Bus Station until the 1980s. The building is clad in blue and pale yellow vitrolite mirrored glass panels and stucco with glass block separated by stainless steel bands, curved corners, large piers between the bays at the front entrance doors, stainless steel canopies, a large blank sign over the front entrance, and a low-slope roof enclosed by a parapet. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989, and is a contributing structure in the Columbia Commercial Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014, and increased to its present size in 2021.
Old Palmetto Fire Station, Blanding Street, Columbia, SC Built in 1866, this Italianate-style building was constructed with assistance from United States Army soldiers from the New York Metropolitan Fire Department to serve as a fire station for the Palmetto Fire Company, which utilized the building as Fire Station No. 2 until 1921. After ceasing operation as a fire station, the building was utilized as a Sears, Roebuck and Company warehouse, before being converted into the Villa Tronco Italian Restaurant by the Tronco family in 1941. The building features a red brick exterior with stucco cladding on the side and rear facades, a large bay that once held a garage door at the center of the first floor of the front facade, a bracketed cornice, an arched parapet, two decorative cartouches, double-hung windows, and a low-slope roof enclosed by a parapet. The building is a contributing structure in the Columbia Commercial Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014, and increased to its present size in 2021.
Richland County Courthouse, Main Street and Blanding Street, Columbia, SC Built in 1978-1980, this Modern building was designed by Geiger-McElveen-Kennedy and built by the Congaree Construction Company to serve as the Richland County Courthouse. The building is clad in stone panels with few window bays, a top-heavy form with a large fifth floor that overhangs the lower floors on the west and north facades, recessed and extruded window bays, a trapezoidal footprint, and a colonnade of simple cylindrical columns in front of a glass curtain wall at the main entrance on the north facade. The building remains in use as a courthouse for Richland County.
Richland County Courthouse, Main Street and Blanding Street, Columbia, SC Built in 1978-1980, this Modern building was designed by Geiger-McElveen-Kennedy and built by the Congaree Construction Company to serve as the Richland County Courthouse. The building is clad in stone panels with few window bays, a top-heavy form with a large fifth floor that overhangs the lower floors on the west and north facades, recessed and extruded window bays, a trapezoidal footprint, and a colonnade of simple cylindrical columns in front of a glass curtain wall at the main entrance on the north facade. The building remains in use as a courthouse for Richland County.
Tapp’s Building, Main Street and Blanding Street, Columbia, SC Built in 1940 and expanded in 1952 with the addition of two stories to the roof, this Art Moderne-style building was designed by Lafaye, Lafaye and Fair and E. Paul Behles for a department store run by James L. Tapp. The building features a stucco-clad facade with dark panel cladding at the base, a curtain wall at the second and third floors of the front facade above the front entrance, a clock, metal canopy, and Art Deco-style sign on the facade above the front entrance, large plate glass windows on the first floor, and one-over-one windows and casement windows on the upper floors of the side and rear facades. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and is a contributing structure in the Columbia Commercial Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014, and increased to its present size in 2021. The building was rehabilitated in 2003, and today, houses an arts center on the first floor, and apartments on the upper floors.
Tapp’s Building, Main Street and Blanding Street, Columbia, SC Built in 1940 and expanded in 1952 with the addition of two stories to the roof, this Art Moderne-style building was designed by Lafaye, Lafaye and Fair and E. Paul Behles for a department store run by James L. Tapp. The building features a stucco-clad facade with dark panel cladding at the base, a curtain wall at the second and third floors of the front facade above the front entrance, a clock, metal canopy, and Art Deco-style sign on the facade above the front entrance, large plate glass windows on the first floor, and one-over-one windows and casement windows on the upper floors of the side and rear facades. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and is a contributing structure in the Columbia Commercial Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014, and increased to its present size in 2021. The building was rehabilitated in 2003, and today, houses an arts center on the first floor, and apartments on the upper floors.
Tapp’s Building, Main Street and Blanding Street, Columbia, SC Built in 1940 and expanded in 1952 with the addition of two stories to the roof, this Art Moderne-style building was designed by Lafaye, Lafaye and Fair and E. Paul Behles for a department store run by James L. Tapp. The building features a stucco-clad facade with dark panel cladding at the base, a curtain wall at the second and third floors of the front facade above the front entrance, a clock, metal canopy, and Art Deco-style sign on the facade above the front entrance, large plate glass windows on the first floor, and one-over-one windows and casement windows on the upper floors of the side and rear facades. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and is a contributing structure in the Columbia Commercial Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014, and increased to its present size in 2021. The building was rehabilitated in 2003, and today, houses an arts center on the first floor, and apartments on the upper floors.
Sign, Tapp’s Building, Main Street and Blanding Street, Columbia, SC Built in 1940 and expanded in 1952 with the addition of two stories to the roof, this Art Moderne-style building was designed by Lafaye, Lafaye and Fair and E. Paul Behles for a department store run by James L. Tapp. The building features a stucco-clad facade with dark panel cladding at the base, a curtain wall at the second and third floors of the front facade above the front entrance, a clock, metal canopy, and Art Deco-style sign on the facade above the front entrance, large plate glass windows on the first floor, and one-over-one windows and casement windows on the upper floors of the side and rear facades. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and is a contributing structure in the Columbia Commercial Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014, and increased to its present size in 2021. The building was rehabilitated in 2003, and today, houses an arts center on the first floor, and apartments on the upper floors.

Contact SOUTH CAROLINA STATE MUSEUM

SOUTH CAROLINA STATE MUSEUM
301 GERVAIS ST
COLUMBIA
SC
29201

Disclaimer: please note this database is maintained by volunteers and whilst we endeavour to do our best, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the listing.

If you notice any errors or omissions in the listing, please let us know in the comments section below.

< TAPP'S ART CENTER SUMMERVILLE-DORCHESTER MUSEUM >

Find more COLUMBIA SC Museums

What 3 Words

///sedated.sheepskin.bananas. Near Columbia, South Carolina

Nearby Museums

CHAPLAIN CORPS REGT ASSOC INC UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA, RESEARCH EDVENTURE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM PALMETTO CABINET

Map of SOUTH CAROLINA STATE MUSEUM

SOUTH CAROLINA STATE MUSEUM Information

MID # 8404500011
Name SOUTH CAROLINA STATE MUSEUM
Alternate Name
Classification Uncategorized or General Museums, , Southeastern
Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN)
NTEECC
Tax period of the latest return filed (YYYYMM)
INCOME 0
REVENUE 0
LAT/LONG 33.997255, -81.046675
CODES FIPS State Code: 45
FIPS County Code: 079
US Census Tract: 001600
US Census Block: 1037