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1030 Assembly Street
Southwest Corner of Laurel and Assembly StreetsSite of USO Club
The United Services Organization (USO) maintained separate facilities for black and white personnel during World War II. In 1942, it established its main building for white servicemen overlooking Seaboard Park. Deemed "new and swanky" by The State newspaper, this landmark provided "wholesome entertainment" and "offered a two-mile view of the city to the 5,000 guests it entertained each day." The club was demolished in 1966 for construction of the city's current United States Post Office.
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Colorized postcard depicting USO, circa 1945. Historic Columbia collection
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Federal Recreation Building, USO, circa 1950. Image courtesy John Hensel Photograph Collection, South Caroliniana Library, University of South Carolina, Columbia
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Photographed in 1943, Evelyn Brunson Tracey relaxes on the USO building's balcony, which overlooked Seaboard Park. In the background loom other city landmarks including St. Peter's Catholic Church, the Wade Hampton Hotel and the Palmetto and Barringer buildings. Historic Columbia collection
