Walker Hall
National Register Listing
Street Address:
SE of Spartanburg on SC 56 (Spartanburg County)
NRHP Nomination
Record Number:
S10817742016
Description and Narrative:
Walker Hall, built ca. 1857-59, is an example of Greek Revival and Italian Villa architecture situated on the 147-acre campus of the South Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind. It stands as a monument to the Walker family, who for 127 years have been involved in the education deaf and blind children in South Carolina. The school was founded in 1849 as a private endeavor by Reverend Newton Pinckney Walker, a young Baptist minister who had become interested in the work for the deaf because his wife had three deaf relatives. In 1885 a Department for the blind was added, the same year in which Walker petitioned the legislature to take over the school as a state supported institution, which it did in 1856. In 1857, the well-known Charleston architect Edward C. Jones was commissioned to design a new building. A contract was drawn with Owen, Allen & Brothers to build the center edifice and the east wing, which were completed in 1859. The original building was constructed of brick and the dome originally was surmounted by a Mansard roof, replaced by a flat roof in the late 1880s. In 1884, a contract was made with the Philadelphia architect Samuel Sloan to design the west wing that was completed in 1885. Its design is identical to the east wing, giving the structure a symmetrical appearance. The front façade features a pedimented portico supported by Corinthian columns on an arcaded base. A rear annex, also in conformity to the original structure, was constructed in 1921 by Pittman Construction Company of Atlanta. Listed in the National Register December 6, 1977.
Period of Significance:
1857 – 1859;1884
Level of Significance:
State
Area of Significance:
Social History;Architecture;Education
National Register Determination:
listed
Date of Certification:
December 6 1977
