South Carolina Department of Archives and History |
National Register Properties in South Carolina Atlanticville Historic District, Charleston County (Sullivan's Island) |
The Atlanticville Historic District is a concentration of residential buildings at the center-east end of Sullivan’s Island. The district includes fifty-eight contributing resources and twenty-eight noncontributing resources. All but two of the district’s contributing resources are representative of the property type “Island Houses.” The other contributing resources are the Chapel of the Holy Cross and the Sullivan’s Island Graded School. Resources in Atlanticville typically date from between circa 1880 to 1950. Most are relatively modest one-story cottages, many of which retain historic rear pavilions or keeping houses. The “Island Houses” within Atlanticville are generally somewhat newer than the houses in Moultrieville, the island’s other historic district comprised mainly of island houses. The architectural character of the traditional residential architecture of Sullivan’s Island is directly related to the island’s historic role as a resort community primarily serving nearby Charleston. Most of the island’s houses were originally constructed as seasonal summertime dwellings. The fact that they were most often not their owner’s primary residences affected the design and construction of the houses and often resulted in evolutionary construction. The climate on the island is also a harsh one for the predominantly frame construction of the houses, as they are subjected to extreme sun, high humidity, prevailing coastal breezes, and occasional hurricanes. Ranging from simple transient vernacular cottages to more elaborate permanent dwellings, each house reflects not only the personality of its original owners but also the changing tastes of subsequent owners and adaptations that were made in response to deterioration and damages brought on by climatic conditions. All of these factors have resulted in an eclectic mix of housing types that somehow manages to blend together with their landscape to form the island’s unique built environment. Listed in the National Register September 6, 2007.
View a map showing the boundaries of the Atlanticville Historic District.
View the complete text of the nomination form for this National Register property. In addition, the Historic Resources of Sullivan's Island includes historical background information for this and other related National Register properties.
Most National Register properties are privately owned and are not open to the public. The privacy of owners should be respected. Not all properties retain the same integrity as when originally documented and listed in the National Register due to changes and modifications over time.
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