Aiken Training Track
Historic Property
Alternate Name:
Aiken Training Track
Street Address:
E. of Two Notch RD & W. of Powder House RD & N. of Audubon DR, Aiken, SC (Aiken County)
Site Number:
03_0007
Control Number:
U/03/0007
Date Surveyed:
February 3 2010
Category:
Site
Construction Date:
circa 1941
Historic Use:
Recreation & Culture
Current Use:
Recreation & Culture
Architect or Builder:
Ira Coward
Construction Method:
other
National Register Determination:
listed;
Signficant Architectural Features:
1-mile, flat, oval track; 7 contributing buildings: a barn with stables, a separate stable building, a walking shed, a veterinarian’s office, an office building, a cottage, and a grandstand.. Prev. SHPO No. 482
Alterations:
Contributing Buildings are in good condition and retain historic materials. Where replacement has occurred it has been in-kind
Historical Information:
The Aiken Training Track, constructed in 1941 by Ira Coward for Fred Post, was established for training flat racers. Horse owners, as well as others interested in Aiken’s future as a horse training center, subscribed to stock in the new track. At the time of its construction, the track, which features banked turns and cushioned straight-aways, was considered one of the finest tracks in the country for training flat racers. The construction of the Track secured Aiken’s future as a horse training center. The Track complex consists of a one-mile, flat, oval track, and seven contributing buildings. The buildings, built in the early 1940s, include a barn with stables, a separate stable building, a walking shed, a veterinarian’s office, an office building, a cottage, and a grandstand. There are also new stables on the property. Listed in the National Register May 9, 1985.
Source of Historical Information:
“Aiken Training Track” [Online]; available from http://www.nationalregister.sc.gov/aiken/S10817702025/index.htm; Internet. Accessed April 26, 2010.
Survey:
City of Aiken Historic Resources Survey, Aiken County, South Carolina. May 2010
Quadrangle Name:
Aiken