L. Marion Gressette Building
1101 Pendleton Street
Constructed 1974-1978
Designed by Lyles, Bissett, Carlisle & Wolff
Built by Bateman Company
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L. Marion Gressette Building, 2019. Historic Columbia collection
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L. Marion Gressette Building, 2019. Historic Columbia collection
Designed by Lyles, Bissett, Carlisle & Wolff to match the Brown and Blatt buildings in the mid-1970s, the Gressette Building’s square shape was determined by its lot, which was sandwiched between the existing Hampton and Dennis buildings. It originally housed offices for the South Carolina Senate and was named for Lawrence Marion Gressette, who served in the South Carolina House from 1925 until 1923 and the South Carolina Senate from 1937 until 1984. Gressette petitioned for and later served as chairman of the South Carolina School Committee (known as the Gressette Committee), which strategized legal means for fighting desegregation rulings from 1951 until 1966.