1730-1732 Main Street
Brown Building
The Charles O. Brown & Brothers Company had this Classical Revival style structure erected in 1901 following plans by the architectural firm of Sams & Carter. The hardware and builders’ supply store came to stand on land formerly occupied by a meat market and grocery. Like many of its 19th-century counterparts, this structure simultaneously contained multiple businesses. Among them were cigar, drug, grocery and furniture stores. Perhaps the most celebrated (or notorious, depending on the perspective) tenant was the UFO Coffee House, which operated from the property from January 1968 through 1970. Frequently referred to as a “hippie hangout” by municipal leaders and police officers, the venue received national publicity as one of the first pacifist coffeehouses located near a military base. Authorities shuttered the popular sub-culture destination after having it declared a public nuisance fraught with “cursing and loud noises [and] . . . marijuana.” according to The State newspaper. Today, the building appears much like it did following a renovation in 1976.
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Boyne and Brown buildings, 1978. Image courtesy Russell Maxey Photograph Collection, Richland Library
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Boyne and Brown buildings, 1972. Image courtesy Russell Maxey Photograph Collection, Richland Library
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The Brown Company ran this advertisement in Columbia'c 1903 city directory. Image courtesy Richland Lbrary
