Skip to main content

The Hampton-Preston Mansion and Gardens is closed on Sunday, May 18. All other sites and tours will run as scheduled, including Free Sunday at the Museum of the Reconstruction Era.

See Available Tour Times
Menu Close Menu

Historic Columbia

Donate
  • FAQs
Upcoming Events

Navigation

  • Tours
    • House Tours
      • Robert Mills House and Gardens
      • Hampton-Preston Mansion and Gardens
      • Mann-Simons Site
      • The Museum of the Reconstruction Era
      • Modjeska Monteith Simkins House
      • Hours and Pricing
    • Garden Tours
      • Garden Database
    • Offsite Tours
      • Walking Tours
    • African American History Tours
    • Online Tours
  • Education
    • Field Trips
      • House Tours
    • Traveling Trunks
  • Support
    • Corporate Support
      • Additional Support Opportunities
      • Corporate Membership
      • Program & Event Sponsorship Options
    • Donate
    • Membership
      • Palladium
    • Volunteer
    • Partners and Donors
  • Rent a Venue
    • Gardens of the Hampton-Preston Mansion
    • Seibels House and Garden
    • Robert Mills Carriage House and Gardens
    • Gardens of the Woodrow Wilson Family Home
    • Weddings
    • Photoshoots
    • Contact Us
  • Research
    • Object Collection
    • Projects and Initiatives
  • Preservation
    • Preservation Awards
    • Preservation Advocacy
    • Resources and Services
    • Economic Impact Study
    • Building Richland County
  • About
    • Blog
    • Board Members
    • Careers
    • Contact Us
    • Gift Shop at Robert Mills
      • Online Store
    • Newsletter
    • Staff Directory

Donate

  1. Home
  2. Online Tours
  3. Main Street
  4. 1633-1635 Main Street

1633-1635 Main Street

Seegers-Habenicht Building

Built 1865
Remodeled 1937
Rehabilitated 2015

  • Seegers-Habenicht Building, circa 1880.

    Seegers-Habenicht building, circa 1880. Image courtesy Lynn Boyd

German immigrant John C. Seegers debuted this Italianate style building, designed by architect Gustavus Theodore Berg, in late 1865 as a brewery, saloon, and wholesale and retail shop for wine, liquor, and ice made at his factory to the east of the South Carolina Lunatic Asylum. That state-of-the-art facility was capable of producing 2500 pounds of ice in five hours. During the 1870s and 1880s, the building's second story also served as a meeting place for several German organizations, including the Schuetzen Verein and Freundschaftsbund, shooting and friendship societies. Seegers' son-in-law, Christopher C. Habenicht, joined the business sometime in the 1870s, and in 1892 opened C.C. Habenicht Bottle Works in the 1100 block of Taylor Street. 

After the overthrow of Reconstruction, Wade Hampton III's administration expanded the system of convict labor dramatically as a form of racial control and source of state revenue. In 1877, Seegers began leasing 150 convicts from the State Penitentiary to work his farm outside of Columbia. This was the first arrangement of its kind in South Carolina, and Seegers remained a pioneer in the trade until he was priced out of the market. He later represented Richland County in the South Carolina House of Representatives during the 1880s.  

In 1937, an Art-Deco inspired renovation altered the building’s original appearance. That modern treatment was removed in 2015 during the building’s adaptive use as Lula Drake Wine Parlor and the Pastor’s Study, a project that received an Historic Columbia preservation award in 2018.

Directions:

    Previous1631 Main Street

    Next1644 Main Street

    NTHP Preservation Award Winner
    Historic Columbia

    © 2025 Historic Columbia

    Administrative Offices
    1601 Richland Street
    Columbia, SC 29201

    Tours
    All historic house and garden tours start at the Gift Shop at Robert Mills.
    1616 Blanding Street
    Columbia, SC 29201

    Questions? Call (803) 252-7742.

    Newsletter Signup

    newsletter signup

    Subscribe to our monthly newsletter for events, news, and updates from Historic Columbia!

    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Flickr
    • Privacy Policy
    Website by Cyberwoven