Okatie, South Carolina

OLDFIELD
Okatie, South Carolina
HISTORICAL CONCEPTS
architects, planners & place-makers
Project Overview
PROJECT INFORMATION:
SERVICES PROVIDED:
Developer: Crescent Resources
Design Guidelines
Location: Okatie, South Carolina
Acreage: 860 acres
Homesites: 543
Commerical Architecture
Adaptive Re-Use and Rehabilitation
Prototype Architecture
Oldfield was honored in 2006 with Audubon International’s inaugural Neighborhood for Nature Award
in recognition of its ongoing commitment to environmentally responsible development.
HISTORICAL CONCEPTS
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Commercial Architecture
O U T F ITTE RS CE NTE R
Sited between the marshes of the Okatie River and a
freshwater pond, The Outfitters Center at Oldfield is
part hunting lodge, part outfitters store, and part wildlife
education center.
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Commercial Architecture
T H E G RE E TE R’S STORE
Crescent Resources hired Historical Concepts to create a
building that would not only meet the diverse needs of a newly
emerging development, but would also set the tone for the
community to come. The firm envisioned an old-fashioned
country store that would also serve as a guard house, post office
and sales center. Situated just inside the property entrance, the
quaint structure is welcoming, yet provides a discreet vantage
point for monitoring traffic in and out of the community.
A porte-cochere with antique gas pumps dresses the exterior,
while inside a small emporium offers food, drinks and gifts
arranged on simple, period-appropriate displays. Vernacular
details, reclaimed materials and antique lighting add to the
authentic feel of this new commercial structure, which has
become a popular destination for residents and guests alike.
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Commercial Architecture
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Commercial Architecture
SPORTS CLU B
To maintain the historical integrity of this former
plantation site, Historical Concepts’ design approach was
to create a fully equipped recreation facility that would feel
like an old, ancillary farm building. Inspired by livestock
barns and horse stables, the Oldfield Sports Club reflects
the adaptive re-use of a traditional building type.
On the interior, timber framed walls in the lobby
extend upward to the timber ridge beam and wooden
HISTORICAL CONCEPTS
ceiling. The core of the structure is wrapped by a
clerestory, a continuous curtain of windows that flood the
lobby and adjacent workout rooms with light. In addition
to its workout rooms, there are locker rooms, a checkin desk, offices and a small retail area in the main mass.
Additionally, a heated lap pool is housed in a wing with
timber frame trusses and an exposed metal roof, giving it
the authentic feel of a re-purposed horse stable.
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Commercial Architecture
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Adaptive Re-Use & Restoration
O L D F IE LD RI V E RHOU SE
Historical Concepts adapted the abandoned 1970s
era estate home on the site into Oldfield’s main dining and reception facility, The Riverhouse.
Above: Front facade, “before”
Left: Front facade, “after”
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Adaptive Re-Use & Restoration
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Design Guidelines
ARCHITECTURAL PATTERNS
The Oldfield Style
T
OLDFIELD
PATTERN BOOK
COASTAL STYLE ONE-AND-A-HALFSTORY-- PORCH ATTACHED
COASTAL STYLE ONE-AND-A-HALFSTORY-- PORCH PART OF MAIN MASS
The attached three-bay porch with
pediment is a distinctive layout seen in
varying styles throughout the South. The
front facing gable gives a pleasing, welcoming presence to the house. The raised
pier foundation is suitable for flood-plain
areas and allows the coastal breezes to provide natural air circulation.
This is a wonderful example of understated elegance; the deep low-hanging
porch is cool and inviting. The simplicity
of the unbroken roofline pierced with
dormers is nestled into its site among
the trees. The deep side gabled roof allows more livable space than in a typical
one-and-one-half story home.
SMALL TOWN ECLECTIC
GUEST HOUSES
Eclectic, with several defining elements,
twin porches flanking the central mass,
and bracketed overhangs, are joined
together to create an appealing design.
Several fine examples may be found on
Craven Street in Beaufort and throughout Savannah. These types of homes are
specially suited for smaller sites, located
near a road.
This small guesthouse, with its highpitched square center mass and shed
wing additions, has a special character
all it’s own, rather than being a miniature
offshoot of the main house. This is another piece that fits into the fabric of the
site that makes up the compound.
COASTAL STYLE TWO-STORY- PORCH ATTACHED
Typical of many homes in nearby Beaufort and surrounding areas, the raised
two-story home has distinct secondary
wings with low-pitched roofs, which create a “T” layout. The raised foundation
has a split stair entrance to the main level
porch and provides opportunity for additional living space on the ground level.
GARAGES
The carriage house or barn with multiple
gables allows for a large, habitable loft
space above the ground floor two-car garage and workshop. This is one of countless ways to approach the garage structure
in a unique style that complements the
main house and adds to the character of
the compound. These garages, while
somewhat tall and shallow, are atypical
of today’s garages.
COASTAL STYLE TWO-STORY- PORCH PART OF MAIN MASS
Found on plantations along the southeast, from South Carolina to Louisiana,
this home type is notable for it’s stately
full-width porch and two-story columns.
Such homes were typically a statement of
prosperity and position, sited deep but
prominently on large lots, framed by live
oaks and outbuildings.
OUTBUILDINGS
The outbuilding was many things to
the early tidewater families - from the
ubiquitous potting shed, to the “cool
house” barn, to the blacksmith shop uses that have changed little over time.
While the outbuilding may now house
the golf cart or unique guest quarters,
it is for certain that the nostalgic outbuildings lend interest to the fabric of
the Oldfield house.
he familiar historical dwellings
shown in the following imagery
sections are found throughout small
towns of southern coastal regions. It
is within the content of this imagery of
familiarity that we have fashioned our
Pattern Book and its requirements and
guidelines. To appreciate these stylistic
traditions, one must understand the
underlying similarities in style when
buildings differ in size, shape and degree of formality. These styles, as to
shape and architectural elements, have
been refined, mixed, and arranged to
the personal preferences of the occupant
by renowned architects as well as local
craftsmen, through the popular use and
influence of pattern books. The common use of these books, as well as the
sketches of fine architectural examples
by those traveling abroad and along
the eastern coast of America, helped
to propagate these familiar house patterns.
It was not until the 1840’s that we began to see diversity and creativity in architecture. Until this time, architectural
styles tended to be homogeneous and
changed slowly due, in part, to the distance between communities. In 1842,
architect A.J. Downing published one
of the first pattern books, Cottage Residences, Rural Architecture and Landscape Gardening. Downing, as well
as other architects of the day, created
several pattern books that introduced
many fashions of design that embraced
a mixing of architectural styles. People
found the books to be so popular that
various builders and designers of the day
made their own interpretations of these
transitional works. While these various
eclectic designs became customary between 1890 and 1915, traditional styles
remained as the common order of the
day.
We are not attempting to impose
any chronological order to the styles,
as the result would be purely academic
nomenclature. Architectural historians
often disagree on such names, which are
often misleading or inaccurate.
For our purposes, Oldfield is not as
concerned with a particular style or
what might have influenced the style
of a house, but more importantly
whether or not the design is pleasing
and appropriate to the region. You will
find that the nomenclature used within
this text is more descriptive, referring to
design elements and massing rather than
naming styles.
It is the familiarity with the historical
examples that we have documented in
this Pattern Book that should give guidance to the Oldfield property owners in
the design of their homes. These images
are not meant to be all inclusive, for they
are not; however, it is our intent to set
examples from which the architecture
of Oldfield is based and for use by both
architect and review board as a reference
for design. Oldfield asks homeowners
to use in their designs, historical styles
rooted in the region and within the local vernacular to create a special sense
of place, so much an integral part of
Oldfield’s uncommon way of life.
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O L D F IEL D PATTE RN BOOK
Historical Concepts developed a guide for the residential
architecture at Oldfield that would complement the
community and amenity buildings that the firm had
already designed. The Pattern Book is a tool for
understanding the desired Architectural and Landscape
Patterns. Expressed through precedent photos, massing
diagrams and simple drawings, this book ensures that the
Oldfield vision will remain consistent over time.
ARCHITECTURAL PATTERNS
Evolution of the Compound
H istorically, the compound
evolved from a simple, single structure
designed early in the 19th century for
minimal family needs, with front and
rear porches to provide shade and refuge from the heat of the southern sun.
A shed or barn would have been built
near the house, and perhaps a smoke-
house or small dairy building as well.
In back of the house would have been a
separate kitchen structure, to keep out
the heat of open-fire cooking.
Over time as the family grew, the
addition of dormers would have made
the attic usable as bedrooms. In some
instances, an entire second floor would
have been added, converting the house
into two full stories. As even more space
was needed, side wings were added for
additional bedrooms or living space.
Following generations, with a desire for a
grander style of living and more available means by which to achieve it, would
have added rear wings and expanded the
porches.
Eventually, as electricity became
available after the turn of the century,
a back room would have been converted into the kitchen, leaving the
old kitchen structure available as guest
quarters. Along the same time, porches
would have been enclosed or small
bedrooms converted into bathrooms as
running water became available. Later
on, as central heat and air were added,
porches would have been glassed in for
year-round use.
Consequently, through the generations
the old family home grew and evolved
from a small central mass into a large,
attractive home. The overall compound
itself has evolved through the years, with
the barn converted into a garage, the
smokehouse used for golf cart storage,
and the old kitchen utilized as guest
quarters. Yet because of its evolution and growth through additions, it
maintains a history and unique character, a more inviting scale and far more
interesting appearance than if it were a
single, rectangular mass.
1800
The Oldfield Compound
1890
1920
The Typical Oldfield Homesite as Envisioned from Birdseye View
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Prototype Architecture
R IV ER COTTAG E S
The River Cottages are a series of second home retreats designed by Historical Concepts. Each small cottage has
a common living area with additional bedrooms in separate masses that are connected via breezeways and screened
porches. This unbundled, generational effect creates a charming enclave that stretches along the Okatie River.
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HISTORICAL CONCEPTS
architects, planners & place-makers
4 3 0 Pr i m e Po i n t , Su i t e 1 0 3
P e a c h t r e e C i t y, G e o r g i a 3 0 2 6 9
(770) 487-8041
w w w. h i s t o r i c a l c o n c e p t s . c o m
2010-04-06