Darlington Downtown Historic District
National Register Listing
Street Address:
Along portions of S. Main, Pearl, Public Square, and Exchange St., Darlington, SC (Darlington County)
NRHP Nomination
Record Number:
S10817716050
Description and Narrative:
The Darlington Downtown Historic District is significant for its high level of architectural integrity and as an illustration of the significant periods of prosperity and building in Darlington. The district includes a collection of twenty-one contributing, intact commercial buildings associated with the growth of Darlington from ca. 1870 to ca. 1935. While significant periods of building and rebuilding are associated with the series of fires that swept through the city in 1866, 1892, and the 1930s, the buildings in this district also show the rise and fall of the city’s economy, especially as it relates to the production and sale of cotton and tobacco. The one, two, and three-part commercial buildings exhibit typical turn-of-the-twentieth century building styles, with brick detailing and, in some cases, cast-iron storefronts. By 1870, Darlington County led the state in cotton production. The 1880s and 1890s saw a period of great growth for the Darlington area that included the opening of several local industries including a cotton mill and a cotton compress company. In the early twentieth century the economy shifted to tobacco, and the town of Darlington became one of the state's largest tobacco markets. In the 1920s, overproduction and competition from international markets caused cotton and tobacco prices to drop, and the 1930s brought the Great Depression. Listed in the National Register July 5, 2006.
Period of Significance:
1870;circa 1870 – 1935
Level of Significance:
Local
Area of Significance:
Architecture;Commerce
National Register Determination:
listed
Date of Certification:
July 5 2006
