Allston House, 405 Front Street, Georgetown

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS SC,22-GEOTO,6-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

homes in Georgetown, PART I. HISTORICAL INFORMATION A. Original and Subsequent Owners: Built by the Allston family; sold by widow of Governor R. F. W. Alls-ton, after the Civil War, to Dawley. Ax her death it went to Dr. Ferris; later to Kirs. Dill; then to the Read family. B. Date of Erection: Said to be C. Sources of Information: Bolick, JulianS. Georgetown Houseiore. Clinton, S. C: Jacobs Press, Georgetown Chamber of Commerce. Historic Trail of Old Homes and Buildings of Georgetown, Georgetown, S. C: Georgetown Chamber of Commerce, n. d. Prepared by Harley J. McKee, Architect National Park Service August PART II- ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION A. General Statement: 1. Architectural character: Good example of an early Georgetown house. 2. Condition of fabric: Good. B.

Technical Description of Exterior: 1. Over-all dimensions: Two stories, five-bay front, two bays deep (exclusive of rear shed addition). 2, Layout: Long, narrow, rectangular house with shed along rear. iLLSTON HGUSK HABS Mo. SC-3I0 (Page 2) 3. Foundations: House appears to have been built on brick piers, and the openings later filled in with patterned brick masonry. 4. Wail construction: Beaded clapboards, painted white. 5. Structural system: Typical frame construction. 6. Porch: A long, one-story porch with late nineteenth- century "jigsaw" railings, turned columns and scrolls, hoard ceiling and floor, and latticed brick masonry in-filling between brick supporting piers extends across the front. Modem brick steps lead to porch at right end of house and cut into porch.

There is a modern screened porch on rear. 7. Chimneys: Simple brick chimneys near ends of house are painted black. 8. Openings: a. Doorways and doors: The left front door, which is not original and is glased and six paneled, is set in a simple, old, molded frame. The right door is late nineteenth century and has a two-light transom. b. Windows: The windows all have double-hung wooden sash. Those on the first floor have nine-over-nine lights, and those on the second floor, six-over-six lights. Unusually thick muntins, with plain uranolded outside trim, project slightly from the plane of the house. 9. Roof: Gable roof with simple pediments across gable ends and standing-seam, metal roof that is painted black. Very plain3 unmolded cornice. C. Technical Description of Interior: 1.

Floor plans: The house was originally one room deep. On the right-hand side is an entrance from the street} with small entrance hall and staircase (this may originally have been a porch). To the left from the hall are two original large rooms. Upstairs there are three bedrooms along the front and a hallway to the rear. One-story porch along rear of the house has been closed in to add a row of rooms. 2. Stairways: The staircase is of recent vintage and is of no particular interest. 3. Flooring: The first floor has matched width board flooring; the second floor, random width pine boards (butt sides). Hallway appears to have had new flooring laid over the older board floor. ALL3TGN HOUSE HA3S No. (Page 3) 4- Wall and ceiling finish: Plaster walls, simple board chair rail; and board baseboard.

Plaster modillions in ceilings of first-floor rooms. c j. Doors: Most doors in house are handsome, four-paneled doors with very high raised paneling on one side only (flat panel- ing on other). Recessed, molded door frames and doors appear to be original. Double doors between two principal first- floor rooms each have three panels that are raised. 6. Decorative features and trim: Handsome wood cornice in the two first-floor rooms. The chair rail in the right room is molded; in the left room, plain board. Original portion of house has windows with extremely thick muntins. On the inside, the molded window frame goes around all four sides; there is no sill. 7. Hardware: Several doors have large HL hinges. 8. Lighting: Modern electric lighting. 9.

Heating: First floor has a fireplace with modern mantel- pieces in each of the principal rooms. The main bedroom on the left side of the second floor has a very simple fireplace. D. Site: 1. Orientation: The Allston House is located on a small corner lot in a residential neighborhood. 2. Landscaping: Trees at front; cement sidewalks; small yard at rear, near waterfront. Prepared by James C. Massey, Architect National Parlc Service August