Bluffton Historic District
National Register Listing
Street Address:
Roughly bounded by the May River, Huger Cove, and Bridge St., Bluffton, SC (Beaufort County)
NRHP Nomination
Record Number:
S10817707059
Description and Narrative:
The Bluffton Historic District is significant as a commercial center in Southern Beaufort County between 1880 and 1930, and due to the cohesiveness and clear identity of the architecture comprising the district. The Bluffton Historic District spans the years 1815 to 1945 and includes 46 buildings of both residential and commercial architecture and two natural landscape features that contribute to the district’s historic character and 17 buildings that do not contribute. The historic buildings are largely vernacular, but some houses demonstrate elements of the Queen Anne, Craftsman, and Colonial Revival styles. Most of the buildings are one- to two-story frames structures with brick pier foundations and full-width one-story porches. Most of the houses are small in scale; exteriors are commonly weatherboard and decorative features are minimal. Historic contexts represented within the Bluffton Historic District include: the Antebellum Resort Era (1815-1860), Civil War and Reconstruction (1860-1880), and Commercial Growth and Decline (1880-1945). The size and scale of the architecture, the paucity of antebellum resources, and the distinctive mixture of residential and commercial structures all reflect these historic contexts within the district. Listed in the National Register June 21, 1996.
Period of Significance:
1815 – 1945
Level of Significance:
Local
Area of Significance:
Architecture;Commerce
National Register Determination:
listed
Date of Certification:
June 21 1996
