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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.

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1616 Blanding Street

Robert Mills House and Garden

Built between 1823 and 1825, the Robert Mills House is named for its designer, a native Charlestonian who became the nation's first federal architect. Though intended as a fashionable private home for English merchant Ainsley Hall and his lower Richland County wife, Sarah, the early 19th-century mansion historically served only institutional purposes. Depicted in a 1908 postcard, the Hall's mansion was the centerpiece of the Columbia Theological Seminary.

Learn More

  • Robert Mills

    Robert Mills House, 2018. Historic Columbia collection

  • Robert Mills

    Robert Mills House, 2018. Historic Columbia collection

Did You Know?

The Robert Mills House is managed by Historic Columbia and is available for tours every Tuesday through Sunday. The carriage house and gardens can also be rented for your special event!

  • Carriage House
  • Garden
  • Robert Mills House
  • Robert Mills House
  • Robert Mills House
  • Robert Mills House
  • Robert Mills House

34.009509692048, -81.028997898102

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.

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