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The Robert Mills House will be closed to the public on Wednesday, March 22, through Sunday, March 26, 2023. Regular tours will resume on Wednesday, March 29, 2023. We apologize for any inconvenience.

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1535-1537 Main Street

Lorick & Lowrance Mercantile Building

Today, only half of this highly ornate, Renaissance Revival style structure known as the Lorick & Lowrance Mercantile Building remains. Designed by prominent local architect J. Carroll Johnson of the firm Urquhart & Johnson, this circa-1912 property initially featured four storefronts. In 1939, during its sixth year of occupancy, Marshall’s clothing store updated the building by adding terrazzo flooring and black structural glass in the first story. Following Marshall’s closing in 1962, Busch’s Kredit Jewelers began its decade-long tenancy. The two sections to the south, at 1531 and 1533 Main Street, were demolished in February 1970 for the construction of Davison’s Department Store (opened in the fall of 1971), which later became Macy’s, one of Columbia’s leading department stores. In 2011, the building's facade was rehabilitated to an extent

  • 1535-1537 Main Street

    1535-1537 Main Street, 2006. Historic Columbia collection

  • Davison's Department Store, 1970.

    In 1970, the 1500 block of Main Street welcomed Davison's Department Store--following the destruction of the southern half of the historic Lorick & Lowrance building. Image courtesy Russell Maxey collection, Richland Library.

  • Lorick & Lowrance Mercantile Building, 1949.

    Lorick & Lowrance Mercantile Building, 1949. Image courtesy John Hensel Photograph collection, South Caroliniana Library, University of South Carolina, Columbia

  • Lorick & Lowrance Mercantile Building, 1915

    Lorick & Lowrance Mercantile Building, circa 1915. Image courtesy South Carolina Department of Archives and History

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Historic Columbia

© 2023 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.

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