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.

The Boyd Foundation’s relationship with the Mansion began in 2012 when it funded the restoration of the main entrance gate and surrounding wall. In 2017, with a nod to Susan Boyd’s interest in gardening, the Foundation funded the restoration of the gardens on the north side of the Mansion.

In 2019, the Foundation funded the renovation of the Mansion’s basement to create classrooms and bathrooms for special events. The Foundation also created a sunken patio on the north side of the house to encourage private events at the Mansion.

The Foundation has donated a total of $3.92 million for the Hampton Preston and Robert Mills projects.

 

Hampton-Preston Mansion Greenhouse and Gatehouse

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.

 

Robert Mills House Gardens

 

At the Robert Mills House, the Foundation funded the revitalization of the gardens on the southern side of the building and opening up the property, visually, to Taylor Street.