The Hampton-Preston Mansion, built in 1818, is owned by Richland County and operated by Historic Columbia as an historic house museum. The building and its grounds occupy an entire city block, bounded by Blanding, Pickens, Laurel and Henderson streets. The property’s extensive gardens were renowned throughout the United States from 1840 through the 1970s.
In 2020, the Foundation began its final project at the Hampton-Preston site, the reconstruction of a greenhouse at the Northern end of the property and a gatehouse. Unfortunately, there are very few pictures of the original greenhouse, but the Foundation, Historic Columbia and Lambert Architecture + Construction Services have worked together to create something historically accurate as well as functional in today’s world. The gatehouse will be an interesting addition to the west (Pickens Street) wall. Originally the gatehouse was used as a point of ingress and egress for the public to enjoy the beautiful gardens, without disturbing the family by coming through the main gate on Blanding Street. Again, historical data on the design of the original gatehouse is scant, but every effort has been made to replicate the original.
