The house was built in 1894 as the show house for old Shandon to draw attention to the blossoming neighborhood. (The background on this page is from a photo of the stenciling in the dining room, which we believe to have been there since then). It was rented for many years by an artisan that taught stonemasonry at Epworth Home. Around 1910, grocer JA Platt bought the property.

It's a Queen Anne bungalow of almost 2500 square feet. It once had a porch on the back, but it was converted into a utility room. That's why there is a slight slope in that room. It was for rain run-off and was never leveled. We were drawing up plans to convert it into a bathroom when Carla's parents gave her and her brother the
family business two hours away. So, we're off to N.C.

We wish we knew more about the history of the place. There's a big blank space in there after the foreman moved out. The mason for Epworth lived here for a time; and eventually, it was turned into a duplex. We suppose that's when the living room door was created. It was a window originally, and we've had thought about turning it back into a window, as that door is not needed. It was badly re-muddled at that time. (re-muddling is remodeling gone bad) The heart pine floors and other woodwork were painted and a bathroom was put in at the end of the hall. It has since been removed, but the floor was damaged and drafty, so we put in the carpeting. (that's a high traffic carpet, very durable, that we installed in late 2008)

Then, the house was sold to a very handy young couple that saw all the Victorian potential it had. They stripped almost all the woodwork, and did period stencil work all over the place. They also did a complete landscaping of the yard, putting heirloom roses all along the fence, with daylilies in between, and camellias in the back yard. It blooms almost all year. They did a great job of beginning the restoration of the house.

When we bought it in 1997, it still didn't have air conditioning or a proper kitchen. We put in the A/C, but only recently redid the kitchen completely. It had an old cast iron sink and no cabinets. We did what the previous owners did, which was to use a table for a counter space and old hoosier cupboards. It was a quaint farmhouse look, but we wanted all the modern conveniences, and in 2008, finished an absolute floor-to-ceiling overhaul.
We stripped the floors first. They glowed so much that it affected the color of the room when the sun came in in the mornings. (those are authentic and original Heart Pine floors) We also installed granite counters and an island. The kitchen is big enough that we could very comfortably keep a table for 4 in there. We rarely used the dining room for dining, but rather, for a library. Our large, formal table was in there, and served well as a library table, but could also be used for occasions. We installed tall bookcases on either side of the pocket doors.

This cottage is the oldest original home in Old Shandon. The developer of Shandon lived in a large house across the street. It eventually became dilapidated and the fire department burned it for practice in the 70's. Other old homes were moved into that lot, next to the library. One was the old French Consulate to the Confederacy, and one of the few buildings that did not burn there during the war.
Once development started across Devine Street, it was named Shandon, and this area re-named Old Shandon. It was made an historic neighborhood in 2001. There was a street festival to commemorate the centennial in 2004. Below is a clipping from a local paper.

From the S.C. Dept of Archives and History
" The Old Shandon Historic District is historically significant as the first planned suburban community of Columbia. The houses, institutions, and businesses built in Shandon between the 1890s and the 1950s reflected the growing suburban landscape of the white middle class as it responded to changes in transportation, social issues, and increasing population and commercial development encroachment. Robert W. Shand, a prominent local attorney, formed the Columbia Land and Investment Company in 1889. The following year the company bought 305 acres east of Columbia for $24,000. Formerly rural farmland and woods owned earlier in the 1800s by Robert Start, a Revolutionary War soldier and early nineteenth century mayor of Columbia, this land was to be the first phase of the new town of Shandon, envisioned as an enclave from the busy life of the city as well as a resort and amusement center. The wide streets and generous lots of the area created a park-like setting that was intended to attract professional workers and their families from the urban center. Access to the offices and businesses of the city was provided by the extension of the city's trolley line into the district. The district is a collection of fifty-one primarily residential properties, forty-two of which are contributing properties. Three buildings in the district are utilized for religious purposes. Representative architectural styles include Queen Anne, Bungalow, Craftsman, Colonial Revival, and Neo-Classical. Listed in the National Register September 2, 2003. "

Further inquiry about the house can be addressed to Bollin Ligon Walker Realtors