West Point Rice Mill
National Register Listing
Street Address:
Jct. of Lockwood Dr. and Calhoun St., Charleston, SC (Charleston County)
NRHP Nomination
Record Number:
S10817710159
Description and Narrative:
The West Point Rice Mill is the only one of three antebellum commercial rice mills remaining on the Charleston peninsula. The mill illustrates several distinct periods of history in the City of Charleston: antebellum agricultural processing/distribution; post-World War I civic improvements; New Deal programs; and the military presence before and during World War II. Constructed 1861-1863, it operated sporadically through the Civil War, and afterward until the early 1920s. In 1926, the property was conveyed to the City of Charleston. In 1937, the WPA converted the mill for reuse as a passenger terminal and administrative center for a transatlantic seaplane base. The U.S. flagship carrier, Pan American Airways, had become involved in the project, and the firm of Delano and Aldrich, Architects of New York City designed rehabilitation plans for the Charleston Passenger station. Although the project was never completed, substantial alterations were made to the building. The mill is an industrial building constructed of brick laid in Flemish bond, which stands three and one-half stories above the ground floor level. The building is Palladian in its mid-nineteenth century form, with monumental stuccoed pilasters of the Doric order defining the west elevation’s main portico and the slightly projecting pavilions at both end bays of the principal west and east facades. Listed in the National Register January 20, 1995
Period of Significance:
1861 – 1863;1937 – 1939;1941 – 1942;1861 – 1944
Level of Significance:
Local
Area of Significance:
Architecture;Industry;Military;Social History
National Register Determination:
listed
Date of Certification:
January 20 1995
