This Plantation House was designed and built by Frank Lloyd Wright
Old Brass, Yemassee South Carolina
The land constituting Auldbrass Plantation has a history that dates long before the present plantation house was constructed. Originally Indian lands, this area was divided into Royal Grants in the early 18th Century. Later in that century, the lands were consolidated into large plantations. During the 20th Century, the area became important as timberland.
Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the plantation complex reflects an innovative and advanced design; yet it also expresses a sympathy for the heritage of the land and the natural environment.
The Yamassee Indians lived on the lands that today constitute Auldbrass. In 1707 they were given the protection of the Provincial government by an Act of Parliament. This agreement. was honored until an uprising in 1715 resulted in the massacre of nearby white settlers. Traces of Indian civilization including arrowheads and pottery shards can still be found on Auldbrass.
Beginning in 1731 these former Indian lands were surveyed and were issued in the form of Royal Grants. The land on which Auldbrass now stands was a 474-acre grant to Charles Barker (recorded 1736). By 1760 a number of these grants had been consolidated into larger holdings owned by Charleston rice planters.
In 1864 Williams Middleton, a grandson of Arthur Middleton who signed the Declaration of Independence, purchased the central section of the present Auldbrass from Colonel John Henry Screven. It was in this deed of 1864 that the land was first referred to as "Old Brass." At this time Williams Middleton also owned Middleton Place. Middleton also spent many years in Russia as an attache of the American delegation, and in 1860 he was one of the signers of the Ordinance of Secession.
Between 1890 and 1900 James U. Jackson of Augusta, Georgia purchased most of the lands now comprising Auldbrass and established the Combahee Hunt Club. Just prior to World War I the land became part of the holdings of the Savannah River Lumber Corporation. In the late 1930s, C. Leigh Stevens acquired ownership of the corporation and selected the present site for a plantation complex to be designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Wright modified the name Old Brass to Auldbrass.
Frank Lloyd Wright had an impact on architecture on an international level. Auldbrass exemplifies many of Wright's innovations in design, structure and concept. Wright's love for natural materials, his desire for open planning, and his feel for the natural surroundings are all in evidence. His attempts to end the distinction between interior and exterior space and to create an "organic architecture" are visible in the plan of Auldbrass. One of the two Wright structures in South Carolina, Auldbrass manifests the mature thinking of a man thought by many to have altered the direction of modern architectural design.
Building Description
Auldbrass Plantation was designed and built by Frank Lloyd Wright during the period between 1940 and 1951. Wright's design incorporates aspects of traditional plantation architecture with innovative structure and details. His design, inspired by nature, reflects the natural environment of the South Carolina Lowcountry. Characteristics of this area are cypress trees and live oaks draped with Spanish moss. Wright incorporated these elements into his design of Auldbrass.
The main house at Auldbrass is a long structure that appears to be an extension of the native landscape. The structure is based on hexagonal modules which (as in other Wright designs) are joined to create various interpenetrating planes. The slanting exterior walls of native cypress lumber are laid diagonally and held by brass screws. The slant of the walls; at an 80-degree angle; reflects the slant of the oak trees (70 to 80 degrees from the ground). Numerous doors and windows; all at the 80 degree incline; make the entire structure open and accessible. The details of these doors and windows repeat the diagonal pattern of the cypress walls. Located beneath the roofline are windows that feature an abstract design thought to have been inspired by Indian arrowheads.
At the exterior corners, there are abstract wooden sculptured versions of Spanish moss. Extending from the ends of the structure, as well as encircling it, are concrete terraces that feature a hexagonal pattern.
A lantern roof is located above the main room of the structure. It features the arrowhead motif along its clerestory. The roof was originally copper but had to be replaced in the early 1950s due to deterioration.
The main structure features a large living area with a lantern roof above as its central focal point. The room is dominated by a red brick fireplace that has the vertical mortar painted red and the horizontal mortar painted white to continue the horizontal emphasis of the structure.
Off to the east of the living room is a wing containing two bedrooms, each one having a fireplace, bath, and dressing room. The south wing contains a dining room, pantry, and kitchen. The west wing, separated from the rest of the structure by a glassed-in walkway, contains a large kitchen with a basement (walk-in freezer rooms).
The interior walls are native cypress mellowed with wax, except for portions of the bedroom walls which have been painted. The functional design of the ceiling remains exposed. Wright included built-in cabinets, drawers, and furniture in his basic design. Furniture not of his creation was specifically designed for Auldbrass. Wright also included light fixtures and miscellaneous items, the result being one entirely unified design.
Included in Wright's design for Auldbrass are outbuildings that create a working plantation. Linked together to form one working complex is the gatehouse, manager's quarters, kennels, and stables.
The gatehouse (or guest house) conforms in design to the main dwelling. It has a large living room area with a massive fireplace, two bedrooms, a bath, and kitchenette, and a dining area. The gatehouse is connected by a covered walkway to the stables, manager's quarters, and kennels.
The stables contain six stalls and are adjoined to a fenced corral. The manager's quarters include an office, a bedroom, and two baths. The dog kennels have 12 compartments and three wire-enclosed areas.
Separate from this complex, but uniform in design, are the two caretaker houses. Constructed on concrete mats, each has a large screened porch and contains a large combination living room-bedroom-kitchen facility with a separate bath.
All these outbuildings feature the diagonally-laid cypress walls at the 80-degree incline. The built-in furniture, drawers, and closets are all included. As in the main structure, the smallest detail was considered to create a unified design.
Other outbuildings include a guest house and storage building, neither designed by Wright. There are also several metal sheds used for storage.
A low brick terrace runs along the front lawn of the main structure.
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