Chamberlain-Kay House

National Register Listing

Street Address:

205 River St., Belton, SC (Anderson County)

Alternate Name:

Charles C. Chamberlain House

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NRHP Nomination

Record Number:

S10817704009

Description and Narrative:

(Charles C. Chamberlain House) The Chamberlain-Kay House was built ca. 1854 as a residence for Charles C. Chamberlain. Chamberlain served as the first supervisor of the rail line from Belton to Greenville and after Belton was incorporated, he was chosen as the first intendant. The Chamberlain-Kay House is considered to be the oldest surviving residence in Belton. Architecturally, the Chamberlain-Kay House exemplifies the effect of the changing architectural tastes and fashions on a vernacular house form in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. The house is an adaptation of the Piedmont Farmhouse, or I-House, type, with period elaborations and additions. The original board and beveled batten siding, as well as the bargeboards and brackets, represent the Carpenter Gothic fashion, while the doorway, with its transom and sidelights and anthemion ornament, represents the Greek Revival. The metal shingles on the roof, as well as the cedar shingles on the second story represent the variegated textures of the Queen Anne style. Each successive style was imposed upon the basic form, creating the amalgamative building surviving today. The house was repositioned to its present northwest orientation between 1911 and 1922. Several alterations or additions have also since occurred. Listed in the National Register November 25, 1980.

Period of Significance:

1922;19th century;circa 1854

Level of Significance:

Local

Area of Significance:

Architecture

National Register Determination:

listed

Date of Certification:

November 25 1980

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