1644 Main Street
Tapp’s Building
One of Columbia’s most successful businesses, Tapp’s Department Store operated here for 92 years. The company’s original two-story masonry building was demolished for the construction of this $300,000, Art Moderne style, steel and reinforced concrete building reflecting contemporary tastes, completed by Atlanta’s C.M. Guest and Sons in April 1940. In 1952, the addition of extra stories to the original roof line left a line that is evident today under the stucco. After the company’s success flagged following the exodus of retail and commercial services to the suburbs, Tapp’s closed its Main Street doors in 1995. In 2003, the building was rehabilitated into apartments and today it houses Tapp's Arts Center and loft apartments managed by Capitol Places.
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Tapp's building, 1956. Image courtesy Russell Maxey collection, Richland Library
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Tapp's building, 1949. Image courtesy John Hensel Photograph Collection, South Caroliniana Library, University of South Carolina
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The original Tapp's building, as it appeared in 1911, was a far smaller structure than what the company would build later to better compete with other Main Street department stores. Image courtesy Russell Maxey collection, Richland Library
