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Historic Columbia's administrative offices, gardens, and Gift Shop will close at 12:00 noon on Wednesday, June 7. All afternoon tours are cancelled.

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1619 Pendleton Street

Cain-Matthews-Tompkins House

Also known as the Black House, this Eclectic style home with Tudor (chimney pots), Craftsman (exposed rafter tails) and Colonial Revival elements (windows and form), was built for John Jefferson Cain, a leading building contractor in Columbia, in 1911. The University of South Carolina bought the property in 1974 with the intent to demolish it, but eventually kept the structure after the community spoke out against its impending demise. The Black House now forms the historic core of the Graduate Columbia.

  • The Black House surrounded by the Inn at USC

    Black House (center) and the Inn at USC, 2006. Historic Columbia collection

In 2006, Historic Columbia awarded the team effort between the university, preservationists, and the University Hill neighborhood with two preservation awards for the work on the Inn at USC. The work completed on the Black House earned an Adaptive Use award for retaining the historic character of the residence, including preserving the Honduran mahogany woodwork throughout the home, and successfully adapting it to its new use as the hotel's lobby.

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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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