912 Lady Street
This former warehouse, completed in 1914, was built for the Kirkland Distributing Company. Run by B.B. Kirkland, who started his career as a Columbia sales agent for Pioneer Flour in 1903, the firm primarily sold flour, grain, and hay. In January 1915, Kirkland announced the installation of a feed mill at the site as well as plans to carry "field and garden seed." Kirkland commissioned George E. Lafaye to design this structure's third story, added in 1919, as well as the company's new warehouse, located at 911 Lady Street. Architecturally distinct and located in an advantageous location, today it houses a number of offices and Studio Cellar, which offers painting classes and "paint and sip" sessions.
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912 Lady Street, 2018. Historic Columbia collection
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Kirkland Distributing Company, 1919. Image courtesy Sanborn Fire Insurance Map Collection, South Caroliniana Library, University of South Carolina, Columbia
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Announcement of new headquarters, The Columbia Record, September 14, 1914.
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Grand opening announcement featuring the new building at the corner of Lady and Lincoln streets, The Columbia Record, January 3, 1915.
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Grand opening announcement featuring headshots of B.B. Kirkland and his staff, including his son, B.B. Jr., the office boy (at bottom left), The Columbia Record, January 3, 1915.
