Abbeville Opera House
Historic Property
Alternate Name:
Municipal Building
Street Address:
Court Square, Abbeville, South Carolina (Abbeville County)
Date Surveyed:
circa 1981
Category:
Building
Construction Date:
circa 1908
Historic Use:
Other
Current Use:
Government
Architect or Builder:
Edwards & Walter
Number of Stories:
3
Exterior Walls Materials:
Brick
Foundation Materials:
Brick
Signficant Architectural Features:
3-story brick building rectangular; 7 bay facade with central entrance 1st floor; 1st floor brickwork has pseudo-rustication, stone water table; stone belt course between 1st and 2nd floors; 2nd and 3rd floor no rustication, but brick quoins; windows (1st and 2nd floors) double-hung 1/1 with flat brick arches, stone keys; 2nd floor windows have stone terminal voussoirs as well; 3rd floor has casement windows; central entrance: stone framed; stone piers supporting projecting architrave; panels on the supporting piers have three guttae on bottom and acanthus leaf - acorn pendants at top; large brackets at top of piers have projecting encircling swags, which are in the form of bundled cornucopiae; heavy block modillions along architrave between the brackets; within this stone frame is a 3/4 round bundled-bay leaf torus; a stone voussoir is centered above the door; the doors (double) are within an inner surround with crossetts; cornice above 3rd story is identical to that of courthouse (except for absence of lower tripartite fascia): bead-and-reel, beak-and-talon cyma reversa, dentils, bead-and-reel, egg and dart ovolo; projecting fascia with drip, cyma reversa, astragal, cyma recta; attic with stepped parapet above.;Side Elevation: 3-story, sloping lot allows full basement at rear; irregular fenestration in accord with interior; cornice is not carried across side; brickwork is American bond with raked joints; every 6th course is alternating headers and stretchers.;Interior: 1st floor hallway, short, with stairway at end; where Opera House begins; perhaps 600 seat auditorium with 2-tiered gallery, supported by simple iron columns; engaged Corinthian columns on 5-sided bases frame side-stages and the 2 boxes above each; main stage has flat proscenium of multiple torus; orchestra pit; new cushioned seats; building is attached by 1908 arcade and 1964 2-story wing to Courthouse.
Survey:
Abbeville - City 1981
Archives Location:
Box 9, Series 108042, Survey of historic resources (county by county data on surface properties), circa 1971-2014
