110 Irby Avenue – “Lyde Irby Darlington House”

City Directories and History:  1918 – Mrs. S.R. Nickels, 1948 – Machen Monroe, Samuel D. Chiles, Coleman Wham, 1975 – Mary W. Monroe

HISTORY THREAD

The Sanborn Insurance maps of 1922 list this address as #604 Irby Street. The Lyde Irby Darlington House was constructed in circa 1899 and was once of the earliest homes on the street. The home was built for Lyde Irby – Darlington by her father, Dr. W.C. Irby.  The home consists of many styles but is more typical of Stick architecture with a splash of Classical revival.

Image courtesy of the Blythe Collection – ca. 1982

The Lyde Irby Darlington House is architecturally significant in the city of Laurens as an eclectic, turn of the century residence. Built ca. 1899, the house is an important architectural document of the period when the exuberant Eastlake and Queen Anne styles were losing popularity to the more restrained and sedate Classical Revival styles. The house utilizes elements of each of these styles in its plan and ornamentation. Exterior features of the Queen Anne style include polygonal bays, a wraparound porch, sheathing of weatherboarding and alternate shingles in the gable. Eastlake ornamentation includes the perforated brackets, turned posts, balustrades, and friezes found on the porch and balcony. The Classical Revival style is represented in the pedimented gables of the house and porch. Three brick chimneys pierce the roof. Interior features include pocket doors, plaster walls, wainscoting, mantels with beveled glass mirrors, coal grates with tile surrounds, and a built-in china cabinet. The house was built as a

Images courtesy of photographer Bill Segars – 2010

residence for Col. Thomas Dean Darlington (1867-1932) and his wife, the former Lyde Irby (1873-1934). The Lyde Irby Darlington House is located on a large lot in a quiet, residential neighborhood of the city of Laurens. A molded cement block retaining wall surrounds the front yard and lines the wide front walk. Listed in the National Register November 19, 1986.  [Courtesy of the SC Dept. of Archives and History]

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