South Carolina Chapter of A.I.A., Clemson Architectural Foundation
1522 Richland Street

This Victorian cottage was built about 1880 in the popular Queen Anne style of architecture that would feature prominently in American home design from 1870-1900. Most notable is the stick work balustrade and a lattice frieze supported by the turned posts of the front porch. The hip roofed porch features a small projecting gable on the left side, marking an entrance that has sidelights and a transom. Highlighting the porch gable are alternating vertical beaded boards and unbeaded boards. The larger gable of the roof faces Richland Street and features gingerbread trim. Window sashes on the façade are floor-to-ceiling with a one-over-one pattern.

Clemson Architectural Foundation, the S.C. Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and Wilson Tate Architects purchased and restored the house in 1995 soon after it was slated for demolition. As the only staffed office of the A.I.A. in South Carolina, the cottage is an important part of the organization. The cottage has retained original features such as coal-burning fireplaces in first-floor's largest rooms. A 1995 addition separated the foyer from the front parlor by French doors and a transom. Some of the original flooring is apparent in the rear of the house, though the building's use as an office has demanded replacements in certain parts of the house. Undergoing rehabilitation in the spring of 2004, this former single-family residence's interior will have the function of a modern office building while the exterior will remain the same.

Staci Richey and John Sherrer

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