1613 Main Street
Lever Building
In 1903, contractor C.M. Lide, Jr. erected this Classic Revival style building as part of an early-20th century spate of new construction that altered Main Street’s character through the introduction of new landmark buildings. The property’s original owner, Walter D. Lever, operated a shoe store here, successfully becoming known as “Lever-the-Shoe-Man.” Like most other large structures on Main Street, this property also housed other businesses, including Rawls Brothers photo studio and Draughon’s Practical Business College.
Like so many other buildings on this street, this one was modified to keep pace with current trends in the 1960s and 1970s. Although the original storefront is no longer present, this visually dynamic structure retains most features that defined it when it when it was new.
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Lever Building, circa 1904. Image courtesy South Caroliniana Library, University of South Carolina
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This picture of the Lever building, taken in 1978, shows how mid-20th century changes to the facade had obscured or eliminated some of the structure's original characteristics. Image courtesy Russell Maxey collection, Richland Library
