Location: 300 E Washington St, Greenville, SC 29601
The C. F. Haynsworth Federal Building/Courthouse is significant because of its representation of a specific period of Federal architecture and because it is a symbol of the Federal presence in Greenville.
The passage of the Public Buildings Act of 1926 precipitated a period of building construction that was unprecedented in the United States. The Public Buildings Act specified that the office of the Supervising Architect of the the Department of the Treasury would be responsible for the design and construction of all public buildings. The C.F. Haynsworth Federal Building and Courthouse was constructed during this period, in 1937.
The office of the Supervising Architect of the Department of the Treasury designed the Federal buildings of the early 1930s. Occasionally a private architectural firm was hired to design a public building. Perhaps due to the failure of over half of the nation’s architectural firms in the Depression, the design of public buildings by local firms was encouraged by the mid-1930s. The Federal Building in Greenville was designed by Eric Kebbon and completed in 1937. Many of the Federal buildings of this period exhibit streamlined, almost austere, finishes and features; therefore, it is generally believed that Louis Simon, Supervising Architect of the Treasury, exerted a great deal of control over the design.
The building was constructed as a Post Office, Courthouse and Federal office building. When the Post Office moved out, many of the spaces, especially on the 1st floor and lobby area, were significantly modified.
Facts:
- Architect: Kebbon, Eric
- Construction Date: 1937
- GSA Building Number: SC0028ZZ
- National Register of Historic Places Landmark Status: National Register Listed
U.S. General Services Administration