The Rock Hill Herald reported on June 7, 1888 – “The cotton warehouse of Jones and Robertson in Columbia was completely destroyed by fire. It contained 1,350 bales of cotton. A spark from a passing engine egnited the cotton on a rear platform. The Union Passenger Depot was in danger of catching but it was saved. The warehouse was on the property of the S.C. Railway Co., and was insured, as was the cotton. This is the largest fire in Columbia since the visit of General Sherman.”
City Directories and History: (Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and Southern Railway Station) Designed by Frank P. Milburn, a prominent Southeastern architect, the ca. 1902 Union Station is an excellent example of turn of the century eclectic architecture. Inspired by English Manor House designs of the sixteenth century, the stepped gables, the combination of brick and stone, and the towering chimneys place the building within the mainstream of Jacobethan Revival architecture in America. Milburn’s specialty was large public buildings. He also designed railway stations for New Orleans, Atlanta, Savannah and Knoxville. Milburn’s architectural credo was the progressive cry of his day – to erect “artistic as well as durable buildings.” He insisted upon using only materials of the highest quality and accepted only the finest workmanship. The attention given to decorative details in Union Station, such as the carved wooden brackets, the oriental inspired ironwork, and the acanthus capitals, displays Milburn’s emphasis on quality of design and materials. Without sacrificing design or proportion, Milburn created a functional structure for railroad travel at the beginning of the twentieth century. The building was open to the public on January 14, 1902. Listed in the National Register June 19, 1973. [Courtesy of the SC Dept. of Archives and History]
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