Historic Adaptation
Respectful Addition to a Rich History
When our clients purchased this circa 1855 house, they understood its historic value and its limitations. Located on a property once owned by Robert Smalls, a pivotal figure in American history, the house had once been two rooms over two, with a rear one-story wing added later. Over the years, its original double porches had been lost, its layout offered only one inadequate bathroom, and closets were virtually nonexistent. Our charge was to respectfully restore the home’s historic character while sensitively adapting it for contemporary family life.
2014 AIA South Carolina Historic Preservation Award
2010 AIA South Carolina Award
Garden & Gun Magazine, July 2016
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Awards
2014 AIA SC Historic Preservation Merit Award
2011 October/November Issue Home by Design
2010 AIA SC Robert Mills Residential Design CitationPublication
Garden & Gun, Before and After: Returning charm to a southern landmarkContractor
Stone ConstructionLocation
Beaufort, SCStyle
Traditional
Honoring a Legacy
We began by addressing the home’s critical spatial challenges. A modest L-shaped second-floor addition provided space for two new bathrooms, a master closet, and a small third bedroom. This volume tucks behind the original house and backs up to the existing chimney, which we left exposed in one of the new bathrooms to retain the feeling of age and authenticity.
We also enclosed a small rear porch to create a cozy breakfast room and added a new porch beyond it, balancing the old with the new. Most notably, we recreated the home’s original double front porches. Their return not only enhanced curb appeal but helped visually reconnect the house with the classic Beaufort vernacular.
For a screened outdoor living space, we designed a free-standing pavilion that maintains the scale and rhythm of the main house. It frames a new courtyard to the south, creating a peaceful, private retreat while preserving the architectural hierarchy of the site.
Balancing Past and Present
The result is a deeply livable historic home that gracefully accommodates modern needs, without sacrificing its soul. Every design decision was made in reverence to the home’s significance. Located on land once owned by Robert Smalls, a former enslaved man who became a Civil War hero and U.S. Congressman, this house is more than a structure; it is a tangible piece of South Carolina’s living history.
By restoring its original form, improving its function, and respecting its legacy, we helped secure this home’s future while honoring its extraordinary past.
From the client
We loved working with Jane and Michael Frederick and would definitely love to hire them again for a future home. I particularly appreciate how they balance staying true to the history preservation on the exterior while bringing in modern finishes on the interior.