Beaufort Historic District (Beaufort, South Carolina)
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Beaufort Historic District
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Saltus-Habersham House, 802 Bay Street
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| Location | Bounded by the Beaufort River, Bladen, Hamar, and Boundary Sts., Beaufort, South Carolina |
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| Coordinates | 32°26′8″N 80°40′4″W / 32.43556°N 80.66778°WCoordinates: 32°26′8″N 80°40′4″W / 32.43556°N 80.66778°W |
| Area | 304 acres (123 ha) |
| Built | 1521 |
| Architectural style | Federal, Greek Revival |
| NRHP Reference # | 69000159 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | December 17, 1969 |
| Designated NHLD | November 7, 1973 |
Beaufort Historic District is a historic district in Beaufort, South Carolina. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969, and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1973.
The historic district is renowned for its impressive collection of antebellum architecture that reflect the Federal, neoclassical, and Greek revival styles that were popular during the interwar period, along with the widespread use of tabby. A variety of homes, gardens, commercial buildings, houses of worship and graveyards are featured in the district, with some sites open for public inspection. Continuous efforts at rehabilitation and conservation underline the community's commitment to maintaining the historic nature of the district, which has attracted much acclaim and garnered popularity from visitors and media outlets.
The district's condition has been assessed several times since it was listed in 1969, and in 1998 the National Park Service proposed listing the district as "threatened" due to an ongoing gradual loss of historic integrity. Partly in reaction to this, the district's significance was broadened to include a distinctive historical element of post-Civil War history. The Sea Island experiment, centered in Beaufort, involved a large-scale redistribution of land from large landowners to former African-American slaves in an effort to assimilate the freed slaves into a modern post-war society. This Reconstruction-era effort had a marked impact on Beaufort's built environment, and is still evident in the surviving buildings.
The district can be further divided into five unique and distinct neighborhoods. For some purposes, the Northwest Quadrant neighborhood is not considered to be in the historic district, however it is often grouped in together with the other neighborhoods.
Downtown is centered along Bay Street, Beaufort's historic commercial street. It includes other nearby streets and is mainly commercial in character. Located between the Beaufort River and Bay Street is the newly renovated Henry Chambers Waterfront Park, which overlooks the Beaufort River and is home to many of the city's festivals and events. Most non-tourist commercial services have since relocated to other areas in the city, leaving mostly restaurants and shops that showcase various art, handicrafts, and antiques.
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