Greyhound Bus Depot (Columbia, South Carolina)
Encyclopedia
The Greyhound Bus Depot is a former Greyhound Lines
intercity bus station
in Columbia, South Carolina
. It is at 1200 Blanding Street in downtown Columbia. The depot was named to the National Register of Historic Places
on December 28, 1989. After the bus terminal was closed, the building became a bank. Currently, it is a physician's office.
. The bus station was closed in 1987. In 1990, it was acquired by Lexington National Bank. They used the ticket windows as teller
windows. After the bank left in 2000, the building was vacant. In 2005, the building was adapted for a plastic surgeon
.
style, which grew out of the industrial design work of Norman Bel Geddes
, Henry Dreyfus, and Raymond Loewy
. These designs emphasized a streamlined shape with minimal ornamentation
.
The building has a reinforced concrete foundation and a structural steel frame. The east, west, and north elevations have three horizontal bands and rounded corners. The lower band is blue stucco
. The middle band is glass block
. The top band is blue and ivory Vitrolite
panels. The north elevation on Blanding Street has four ivory Vitrolite columns extending through the canopy
over the five entrance doors.
The vertical sign above the entrance was constructed of aluminum with stainless-steel trim. The sign was capped with the iconic "running greyhound" logo of the bus company. The letters in the words "Greyhound Bus Depot" and the running greyhound were outlined with neon tubing
.
The original interior had a terrazzo
floors, plaster walls, and wainscoting. The waiting room had a skylight for additional, natural lighting.
In its current use as a plastic surgeon's office, the exterior remains the same with the exception of the sign, which no longer has the Greyhound name or logo. The interior was redone with a patient waiting room, consultation room, a surgery suite, recovery rooms, and offices.
Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, is an intercity common carrier of passengers by bus serving over 3,700 destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, operating under the well-known logo of a leaping greyhound. It was founded in Hibbing, Minnesota, USA, in 1914 and...
intercity bus station
Bus station
A bus station is a structure where city or intercity buses stop to pick up and drop off passengers. It is larger than a bus stop, which is usually simply a place on the roadside, where buses can stop...
in Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
. It is at 1200 Blanding Street in downtown Columbia. The depot was named to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on December 28, 1989. After the bus terminal was closed, the building became a bank. Currently, it is a physician's office.
History
The building was constructed in 1938 and 1939 for Atlantic Greyhound LinesAtlantic Greyhound Lines
The Atlantic Greyhound Lines , a highway-coach carrier, was a Greyhound regional operating company, based in Charleston, West Virginia, USA, from 1931 until 1960, when it became merged with the Southeastern Greyhound Lines , a neighboring operating company, thus forming the Southern Division of The...
. The bus station was closed in 1987. In 1990, it was acquired by Lexington National Bank. They used the ticket windows as teller
Bank teller
A teller is an employee of a bank who deals directly with most customers. In some places, this employee is known as a cashier. Most teller jobs require cash handling experience and a high school diploma. Most banks provide on the job training....
windows. After the bank left in 2000, the building was vacant. In 2005, the building was adapted for a plastic surgeon
Plastic surgery
Plastic surgery is a medical specialty concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function. Though cosmetic or aesthetic surgery is the best-known kind of plastic surgery, most plastic surgery is not cosmetic: plastic surgery includes many types of reconstructive surgery, hand...
.
Architecture
The depot is an island-type station designed by George D. Brown in the Art Moderne or Streamline ModerneStreamline Moderne
Streamline Moderne, sometimes referred to by either name alone or as Art Moderne, was a late type of the Art Deco design style which emerged during the 1930s...
style, which grew out of the industrial design work of Norman Bel Geddes
Norman Bel Geddes
Norman Melancton Bel Geddes was an American theatrical and industrial designer who focused on aerodynamics....
, Henry Dreyfus, and Raymond Loewy
Raymond Loewy
Raymond Loewy was an industrial designer, and the first to be featured on the cover of Time Magazine, on October 31, 1949. Born in France, he spent most of his professional career in the United States...
. These designs emphasized a streamlined shape with minimal ornamentation
Ornament (architecture)
In architecture and decorative art, ornament is a decoration used to embellish parts of a building or object. Large figurative elements such as monumental sculpture and their equivalents in decorative art are excluded from the term; most ornament does not include human figures, and if present they...
.
The building has a reinforced concrete foundation and a structural steel frame. The east, west, and north elevations have three horizontal bands and rounded corners. The lower band is blue stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
. The middle band is glass block
Glass brick
Glass brick, also known as glass block, is an architectural element made from glass. Glass bricks provide visual obscuration while admitting light...
. The top band is blue and ivory Vitrolite
Vitrolite
Vitrolite was an opaque pigmented glass manufactured by Pilkington Brothers in the United Kingdom and The Vitrolite Company then Libbey Owens Ford in the United States...
panels. The north elevation on Blanding Street has four ivory Vitrolite columns extending through the canopy
Canopy (building)
A canopy is an overhead roof or else a structure over which a fabric or metal covering is attached, able to provide shade or shelter. A canopy can also be a tent, generally without a floor....
over the five entrance doors.
The vertical sign above the entrance was constructed of aluminum with stainless-steel trim. The sign was capped with the iconic "running greyhound" logo of the bus company. The letters in the words "Greyhound Bus Depot" and the running greyhound were outlined with neon tubing
Neon sign
Neon signs are made using electrified, luminous tube lights that contain rarefied neon or other gases. They are the most common use for neon lighting, which was first demonstrated in a modern form in December, 1910 by Georges Claude at the Paris Motor Show. While they are used worldwide, neon signs...
.
The original interior had a terrazzo
Terrazzo
Terrazzo is a composite material poured in place or precast, which is used for floor and wall treatments. It consists of marble, quartz, granite, glass or other suitable chips, sprinkled or unsprinkled, and poured with a binder that is cementitious, chemical or a combination of both...
floors, plaster walls, and wainscoting. The waiting room had a skylight for additional, natural lighting.
In its current use as a plastic surgeon's office, the exterior remains the same with the exception of the sign, which no longer has the Greyhound name or logo. The interior was redone with a patient waiting room, consultation room, a surgery suite, recovery rooms, and offices.