Greyhound Bus Depot (Columbia, South Carolina) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Greyhound Bus Depot
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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Greyhound Bus Station in 1986
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 Location in South Carolina
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1200 Blanding St., Columbia, South Carolina |
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| Built | 1938 |
| Architect | Brown, George D. |
| Architectural style | Streamline Moderne |
| Part of | Columbia Commercial Historic District (ID14000875) |
| MPS | Columbia MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 82005383 |
| Added to NRHP | December 28, 1989 |
The Greyhound Bus Depot used to be a big bus station in Columbia, South Carolina. It was a place where people caught Greyhound Lines buses to travel between cities. You can find it at 1200 Blanding Street in downtown Columbia. This building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 28, 1989. After the bus station closed, the building became a bank. Today, it is used as a doctor's office.
A Look Back: History of the Depot
This important building was constructed between 1938 and 1939. It was built for a company called Atlantic Greyhound Lines. The bus station served travelers for many years. However, it closed its doors in 1987.
In 1990, a bank called Lexington National Bank bought the building. They used the old ticket windows as places where bank tellers helped customers. The bank moved out in 2000, and the building was empty for a while.
Then, in 2005, the building got a new purpose. It was changed into an office for a plastic surgeon. Since 2014, the building has also been part of the Columbia Commercial Historic District. This district is a special area listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
What Does It Look Like? Architecture
The Greyhound Bus Depot was designed by an architect named George D. Brown. It has a cool, modern style called Art Moderne or Streamline Moderne. This style makes buildings look sleek and smooth, almost like a fast train or ship. It doesn't have a lot of fancy decorations.
The building has a strong base made of concrete. Its frame is made of steel. The sides of the building have three horizontal stripes. The corners are rounded, which is a common feature of the Streamline Moderne style.
The bottom stripe is made of blue stucco, which is a type of plaster. The middle stripe is made of glass blocks. These blocks let light in but keep things private. The top stripe uses blue and ivory panels called Vitrolite. This material looks like shiny glass.
On the Blanding Street side, there are four ivory Vitrolite columns. These columns go up through the roof over the five entrance doors. This part of the building also had a tall sign.
The sign above the entrance was made of aluminum. It had shiny stainless-steel edges. At the very top of the sign was the famous "running greyhound" dog logo. The words "Greyhound Bus Depot" and the running dog lit up with bright neon lights.
Inside, the original waiting room had shiny terrazzo floors. The walls were smooth plaster. There was also a skylight in the ceiling. This skylight let in extra natural light.
Today, the outside of the building still looks much the same. The only big change is the sign, which no longer has the Greyhound name or logo. The inside, however, has been completely updated. It now has a waiting room for patients, special rooms for talking to the doctor, a surgery area, recovery rooms, and offices.
See also
In Spanish: Depósito de Autobuses Greyhound (Columbia) para niños
