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Historic photograph available from the Greenville Historical Society
The South Carolina General Assembly created Greenville County in 1786 and appointed nine county justices. Eventually a courthouse was constructed on land belonging to Lemuel Alston in the middle of what is today called Court Square on Greenville’s current South Main Street. In 1922 construction of the graceful building shown in the photo was begun. Later, when a new courthouse was completed in 1855, this building was used to house county records and also offices for the Chamber of Commerce. The building was demolished in 1924 to build a multistory office building.
[From “Remembering Greenville: Photographs from the Coxe Collection” by Jeffrey R. Willis]
After the demolition, a 10-story office building was erected on the site at a cost of $250,000. This skyscraper came to symbolize the “New Greenville.” The Chamber of Commerce was housed on the first floor. The remaining floors were rented out as offices, and the Haynsworth Law Firm occupied the top floor. When the Depression hit, the Chamber of Commerce lost ownership. The building then became the home office of the Liberty Life Insurance Company, organized in 1919 by W. Frank Hipp.
