The South Carolina State House is where the government officials of South Carolina hold their offices. The state house is located at the corner of Gervais and Assembly Streets, in Columbia City, and occupies about 12,000 square meters of space. Officials housed in the 'Greek revival' style building are the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and the state's General assembly. The state house's first architect was P.H. Hammerskold, and was replaced by John Niernsee. Other architects who contributed to the building's design are Frank McHenry Niernsee, Frank Pierce Milburn and Charles Coker Wilson. Construction started in 1855, and was finally finished in 1907, after the civil war and the sparse budget during the reconstruction era. In May 11, 1976, it was named as a National Historic Landmark. There are also several monuments within the state house's location. There's a monument in memory of the thousands of Confederate South Carolinans who died during the Civil War. Monuments in honor of the contributions of African-Americans and in memory of the law enforcement officers who were killed during duty can also be seen in the site. Statues of Senators Benjamin Tillman and Strom Thurmond are also situated in the premises of the South Carolina State House.