State Dispensary Warehouse
This building, built in 1863-64 and burned by Federal troops in 1865, was rebuilt in 1872 as a cotton batting factory and warehouse. It burned again in 1897, leaving only the outer walls. In 1898 the S.C. State Dispensary, created by Gov. Benjamin R. Tillman to ensure state control over the production and sale of alcohol, rebuilt it as a two-story building to serve as the State Dispensary Warehouse.
Though the State Dispensary system generated impressive revenue, it also allowed corruption and violence to flourish, and was finally abolished in 1907. Vacant from 1907 until the 1920s, this building served as a warehouse for a succession of businesses for the next fifty years. It was vacant again from the late 1970s until 2004, when it was rehabilitated for a neighborhood grocery store.
Where it stands. Corner of Pulaski and Gervais Sts., Columbia, Columbia