Fermata School gymnasium

Historic Property

Alternate Name:

Fermata Club

Street Address:

841 Whiskey Rd. S, Aiken, SC (Aiken County)

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Site Number:

03_2007

Control Number:

U/03/2007

Date Surveyed:

January 7 2010

Category:

Building

Construction Date:

1929

Historic Use:

Recreation & Culture

Current Use:

Recreation & Culture

Historic Core Shape:

Rectangular

Number of Stories:

2

Construction Method:

frame

Exterior Walls Materials:

Stucco

Foundation Materials:

Stuccoed Masonry

National Register Determination:

contributes to listed district;

Signficant Architectural Features:

Two story main mass with hip roof with wide overhang and exposed rafters; two gable front entrances on main mass with decorative braces; original 6/6 windows are grouped in threes; exterior chimney; a modern pro shop and restroom facility_x000D_ modern tennis courts and pool.. Prev. SHPO No. 812; Winter Colony Historic District 1

Historical Information:

The Fermata School was founded in Aiken by Marie Eustis Hofmann with the assistance of such friends as Mrs. Edward Bok (see Mary Curtis) and a Mr. Porter, who was a New York banker and member of the Aiken colony. In October 1919, the fermata School for Girls opened on the 3rd floor of the Hofmann home, with 5 students and 4 instructors. Mrs. C. Oliver Iselin became involved with the venture in 1921, and the school continued to grow. The estate of Colonel Kuser on Whiskey Rd. was acquired for a new campus. In 1926, Mr. F. A. M. Tabor, who was the head of the Aiken Preparatory School was put in charge of the Fermata School._x000D_ _x000D_ Fermata is a musical term meaning "to pause or rest". This is the site of what was once the Fermata School of Girls founded in 1920 for the education of the children of the Winter Colony residents by Marie Eustis Hofmann, the wife of the internationally famous pianist Josef Hofmann. Fire destroyed the main building of the Fermata School in the 1940s. The gymnasium is now used as a clubhouse. (Home Tour)

Source of Historical Information:

Aiken Historic Home Tour by Aiken County Parks, Recreation & Tourism Department.

Survey:

City of Aiken Historic Resources Survey, Aiken County, South Carolina. May 2010

Quadrangle Name:

Aiken

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