1429 Senate Street
Site of Residence of George L. Baker
George L. Baker, the president of the State Bank and Palmetto Ice Company, lived in a neo-classical house on this site in the early 20th century. Built in 1901 and one of the largest homes on Senate Street, the five-bedroom and three-bath mansion included a four-car garage and handsomely landscaped yard. After George Baker died in 1924, his wife rented the house to boarders and eventually sold the property in 1934, at which point it became a venue for philanthropic and social gatherings. The structure's last use was as an American Legion Post. In 1962, the building was sold to the State of South Carolina and was demolished in 1965 for the Rutledge Building, which now houses the South Carolina Department of Education. Designed by Lyles, Bisset, Carlisle, and Wolff (LBC&W), a Columbia based firm, the Rutledge building was half the height intended, due to state budgetary limitations.
