The Bouchier Building, located at 1722–1724 Main Street in downtown Columbia, is a notable early-twentieth-century commercial building whose architectural character reflects the growing prosperity and modernization of Columbia’s Main Street business district. Constructed about 1913–1914, the three-story masonry building was designed by the Columbia architectural firm Wilson & Sompayrac, with construction overseen by prominent local contractor C. M. Lide. The building was named for former owner Henry T. Bouchier and was designed to accommodate retail and commercial activity at street level with offices or other business uses on the upper floors.

Architecturally, the Bouchier Building is distinguished by its light-colored, heavily modeled terra-cotta façade, which gives the structure an unusually rich decorative appearance for a relatively narrow commercial building. The upper stories are organized by a strong rhythm of vertical bays and pilaster-like elements, while large areas of glass provide abundant natural light. Decorative terra-cotta features include balustrade motifs, garlands of fruit and foliage, ornamental bands, and classical-inspired detailing, all capped by a terra-cotta parapet. The combination of large windows and elaborate ornament illustrates the period’s interest in adapting classical revival ideas to increasingly modern commercial architecture.

The building’s original commercial arrangement included two storefronts, emphasizing its role as part of the active Main Street retail corridor. Over the decades, the Bouchier Building housed a variety of businesses, including the Rogers Ice Cream Company and a toy department associated with Sears, Roebuck and Company. These occupants illustrate the building’s continuing relationship to Columbia’s retail economy and the changing character of downtown commerce during the twentieth century.

The Bouchier Building is particularly important as part of the historic architectural fabric of Main Street, where it stands among other early commercial buildings that document Columbia’s transition from a nineteenth-century mercantile center into a modern twentieth-century city. It is included in the Columbia Commercial Historic District and has also been recognized individually for its architectural significance. The building was placed in the National Register of Historic Places on November 25, 1980, under the official designation Building at 1722–1724 Main Street, reflecting the importance of its architecture and its contribution to Columbia’s commercial heritage.

The Bouchier Building remains an important visual landmark on Main Street. Its ornate terra-cotta exterior, rhythmic upper-story windows, and surviving classical ornament provide an excellent example of early twentieth-century commercial design in South Carolina. A preservation and restoration project was recognized by Historic Columbia in 1985, further demonstrating the community’s appreciation of the building’s architectural value. Today, the Bouchier Building continues to serve commercial and office purposes, allowing this more than century-old structure to remain an active part of downtown Columbia rather than simply a monument to its past.