700-800 Blocks of Gervais Street
Site of Cotton Merchants
Before and after the Civil War cotton was central to South Carolina’s economy. Within the Vista many buildings of differing sizes were dedicated to its storage, transportation, and processing. The evolution of such structures followed the overall trend within the commercial district in which more fire-resistant and durable masonry buildings replaced earlier wood frame facilities. By the mid-1880s, Gervais Street’s 700 and 800 blocks featured numerous warehouses including that of Crawford and Sons, shown here circa 1890.