Long known as the Old United States Court House and Post Office, Columbia City Hall shows you its Renaissance-style face. Built beginning in 1870 after the Grant Administration appropriated funds, this striking Renaissance-style building was designed by Alfred B. Mullett, the Supervising Architect of the Treasury. Its construction cost was $400,000 — approximately $13,200,000 in 2025 — and it opened to serve multiple federal purposes.
Once opened it hosted both a United States federal court and a post office; the post office remained here until it relocated in 1921. The building served as a federal courthouse from 1874 to 1936. In 1935 the city government engaged in a land-swap with the federal government to take ownership, and it has been used as the city hall since.
Recognized for its historic and architectural significance, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Stand close and consider the layers of history around you: federal courts and a post office once filled these rooms, and now the city carries on civic life here. Picture federal courts and a post office once filling these rooms where the city now carries on civic life.