Frederick Nance House
National Register Listing
Street Address:
921 Jessica Ave., Newberry, SC (Newberry County)
Alternate Name:
Oak Grove; The Oaks; Gildercrest
NRHP Nomination
Record Number:
S10817736036
Description and Narrative:
The Frederick Nance House, constructed 1822-1825, is architecturally significant as an essentially intact and significant example of antebellum classical revival architecture in Newberry County. The home was built on land owned by Frederick Nance, presumably by Frederick Nance, a prominent politician at the local and state levels who was appointed as Clerk of Court in Newberry in 1794 and later served as Lt. Governor of South Carolina from 1808-1810. The Frederick Nance House is distinct from other early nineteenth-century domestic architecture in Newberry for its scale, its use of masonry construction--not only for the
house but the outbuildings as well--and its moldings and other exterior and interior detailing, which were all indicative of Nance’s significance and stature within the community. The house is a rare example in Newberry County and the surrounding area of a brick, four-over-four, central hall plan, planter’s home. The front of the house boasts a full-height, monumental temple portico that is three bays wide and dominates the facade. The brick on the house’s facade is laid in a running bond pattern with brick quoins of five courses each at the building’s four corners. Remnants of penciling are still visible although hard to see in the photographs. This technique of making mortar joints appear straight and regular was applied to the exterior walls of the Frederick Nance House, its associated slave houses, and the wall around the family graveyard. The surviving brick slave quarters also appears to be a unique feature that is not often found in Newberry or the surrounding area. Listed in the National Register July 27, 2014.
Period of Significance:
1822 – 1825
Level of Significance:
Local
Area of Significance:
Architecture
National Register Determination:
listed
Date of Certification:
July 27 2014
