1307 Devonshire Drive
2025 Palladium Tour | A Century of Style
1307 Devonshire Drive
Constructed in 1928 for Julia Keenan and Cosmo L. Walker, this two-story Tudor Revival style home was designed by Greenville-based architect Henry R. Trott of Jones & Trott. Walker and his wife, Julia, lived in the home for over 30 years, allowing many of the homes original features to remain today, including the distinctive pink-grey stone, tile roofing, arched or lancet doorways, plaster walls, hardwood floors, and matching detached garage.
Cosmo Walker (1893-1958), along with his half-brothers Joseph (1884-1983) and Robert (1896-1977) Walker, was a cotton broker and original developer of Forest Hills. He built this home in 1928, early in the neighborhood’s development. Described as the “largest single residence permit,” the home is constructed of pink-grey stone, likely quarried from the Cayce-based firm of Weston & Brooker Quarry. Walker likely met Henry Trott, whose firm Jones & Trott was established in Greenville in 1921, through Trott’s work on various cotton mill buildings, such as the Buffalo Mill school (1924), Woodside Mill grammar school (1927), and the Southern Bleachery (1937). Most of the firm’s designs were examples of Colonial Revival or Neoclassical architecture, making this Tudor Revival home a unique example in its portfolio.
In 1925, the Walker brothers, along with select investors, purchased land from the estate of Benjamin Abney (1858-1921), whose home was the sole structure on the acreage, and developed the suburb for “the better sort” of Columbians. The location served those professionals who worked on Main Street but could escape from the “bustle, noise and jostling” to the lush, landscaped neighborhood.
The developers, operating as Forest Hills Inc., enlisted well-known Boston landscape architect Harlan P. Kelsey to design the “artistic development” of Forest Hills with “eight little parks laid out” along “gracefully winding driveways.” The lots were laid out to avoid overcrowding, “most of them laid off with artistic irregularity and each with its trees.” To ensure the development remained “elite,” deed restrictions such as excluding Black renters or owners from the neighborhood, and approving architectural plans and the appearance of outbuildings were all employed by the development partners.
In June 1918, newspapers reported on the “hurriedly arranged” wedding of Captain Cosmo Walker and Julia Keenan (1896-1972). Shortly thereafter, Cosmo left to serve overseas in Europe, where he remained until June 1919. The marriage was likely a well-suited match as Julia Keenan was the daughter of William J. Keenan, a locally prominent businessman and “pioneer in the turpentine and naval stores industry” and “figured prominently in the municipal affairs of Columbia.”
The Walkers, who never had children, regularly hosted events at their home such as garden parties for the University of South Carolina’s Chi Omega sorority, duck hunts, and events for Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, where Cosmo served on the vestry. In addition to this home, the Walkers owned a mountain house in Saluda, North Carolina, as well as over 300 acres about seven miles southeast of Columbia, likely for his horses, which he frequently showed. He also is listed in the 1950 census as owning a farm.
The home has had only four owners in its nearly 100-year history. After her husband's death in 1958, Julia resided in the home until 1967 when Sam Clarke purchased it. His ex-wife retained the home until 2021 when the current owners, the Rourkes, purchased it and tastefully updated the home’s interior while retaining all of its historic Tudor charm.
