The Arsenal was burned along with the city of Columbia by Sherman's forces in February, 1865; the structure was the only surviving building and became South Carolina's executive mansion in 1868.

[2] The mansion originally served as housing for officers as part of the state-supported Arsenal Military Academy; Columbia was burned by the Union Army commanded by William Tecumseh Sherman in 1865.

[2] The building had demonstrated severe structural defects by the end of the 1940s, but only in 1955 did repairs begin, causing George Timmerman and his family to abandon the mansion for one year.

[2] The residence received significant landscaping improvements, a driveway,[2] and a walled courtyard during the term of Donald S. Russell,[4] as well as work to improve the building's structural integrity and a complete interior renovation, part of which was funded by the Russells' personal funds.

[2][5] Russell was actually forced to live in one half of the house due to incorrectly installed beams in the ceiling of the drawing room.

[2] A single-story guest wing and family dining area was added to the building during the term of Ernest F. Hollings.

[2] The committee was able to obtain numerous items related to South Carolina's culture and history for the furnishing of the mansion.

In 1970, the South Carolina state legislature gave the commission the power to review improvements to the complex.

[2] In 2003, Governor Mark Sanford announced that, as a result of a $150,000 budget deficit, the mansion would have to be closed for several months.