1515 Main Street
Columbia Museum of Art
Construction of the building that today houses the Columbia Museum of Art began in 1970. Designed by Columbia architectural firm Lyles, Bissett, Carlisle, & Wolff, the building opened in 1971 as the new home for Davison’s—an Atlanta-based department store chain that operated a women’s apparel store at the site since 1946. An example of Brutalist architecture, the building’s cold, sleek façade broke from the ornamentation of the traditionally styled buildings nearby. A division of the Macy’s department store chain since 1925, Davison’s ultimately took the Macy’s name in 1986. In one of the last major blows to Columbia’s downtown after decades of suburbanization, Macy’s Main Street store closed its doors in 1992 as part of that company’s bankruptcy reorganization. Reopened in 1998 as the new home for the Columbia Museum of Art, the building was enlivened by architects Stevens & Wilkinson with a post-modern facelift that helped breathe life back into this section of Main Street. A newly designed Main Street entrance, enhanced plaza, and interior improvements debuted in 2019.
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Columbia Museum of Art. Historic Columbia collection
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Belk's department store, 1949. Image courtesy John Hensel Photograph Collection, South Caroliniana Library, University of South Carolina, Columbia
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Belk's department store, 1962. Image courtesy Richland Library
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Belk's department store, 1940. Image courtesy Russell Maxey collection, Richland Library
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Circa-1925 colorized postcard of Mimnaugh's department store, the predecessor of Belk's. Historic Columbia collection.
