City Directories and History: The significance of Sylvania lies in its detailed craftsmanship and atypical architecture, both of which set it apart from other structures in the McCormick County area. The Hearst and Wideman families who lived at Sylvania have also made important contributions to the region’s development. Sylvania, built ca. 1825, is a one-and-one-half story white clapboard building in the
Federal style set on a low brick foundation. Built in a rectangular plan with a central hall, it has double exterior chimneys with corbeled caps on each end of the house. The gable roof of medium pitch is
Courtesy of the Edmond’s Collections – 2014
covered by cypress shingles and has a boxed cornice with returns. A larger gabled dormer projects from the center of both front and rear facades. On the front façade the dormer is embellished with a Palladian window located above an arcaded veranda which has six columns and simple balusters. The front and rear doorways have semicircular fanlights and double paneled doors. Sylvania contains several unusual architectural details. The carving of the Regency mantels and doorways is delicate and sophisticated while the grained and marbleized woodwork is exceedingly well-executed, achieving a “trompe l’oeil” effect. Most notable, however, is the stencilled grapevine design located in the central hall. The surroundings are well landscaped and there are several outbuildings located near the house which appear to date from the nineteenth century. They include a brick smokehouse and clapboard well house, office (perhaps slave cabin), carriage house, barn, and playhouse. Listed in the National Register November 28, 1977. (Courtesy of South Carolina Department of Archives and History) View the complete text of the nomination form for this National Register property.
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Sylvania is unique for its delicately detailed architecture in the romantic Regency style.. Built in 1825 by John Hearst, it was the home of the Hearst family until about 1847, when James H. Wideman, in whose family it remains, acquired. President F. D. Roosevelt appointed Frank Wideman as an assistant U. S. attorney general. Frank Jr., executive director of the Self Foundation, and Mrs. Wideman restored the house 1969-71. [Information contributed to R&R by Bob Edmonds, 2015]
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IMAGE GALLERY – Blythe Collection, 1982 / S.C. Dept. of Archives and History
