South Carolina Governor's Mansion, Governor's residence in Columbia, United States

The South Carolina Governor's Mansion is an official government residence featuring Federal architecture in Columbia, situated on nine acres of parkland in the Arsenal Hill neighborhood. White exterior walls and classical details define the building's appearance.

The building began as officers' housing for the state-supported Arsenal Military Academy, which with the Citadel Academy in Charleston formed the South Carolina Military Academy. When Union forces under William Tecumseh Sherman burned Columbia in February 1865, it was the only structure of the academy complex to survive. In 1868 Governor James L. Orr designated it the official governor's residence; a $2,500 renovation by architect A. Y. Lee in 1869 ran out of money before completion.

The mansion's furnishings were assembled by the Governor's Mansion Committee formed under Robert E. McNair and managed by his wife Josephine, who gathered items tied to South Carolina's history and culture. In 1977 Ann Edwards, the governor's wife, started the Governor's Mansion Foundation to fund historic furnishings. The adjacent Lace House was bought in 1968 for $67,000.

Public tours require advance scheduling through the appropriate commission to visit the interior. The nine-acre grounds include well-maintained outdoor spaces that are accessible to visitors year-round.

The property includes two additional historic buildings, the Lace House and the Caldwell-Boylston House, used for administrative and event purposes. These companion structures come from different periods and expand the overall complex.