Beaufort's historic Frogmore Lodge sells to St. Helena builder
Glenn and Jenny Evans sometimes feel the suspicious glances as they roll slowly along the streets around Beaufort in their white sport-utility vehicle.
But the couple is just learning the area and acting on a bit of an obsession -- finding properties to restore.
The St. Helena residents, who recently moved from Sumter and started Paradise Point Construction, didn't hesitate when historic Frogmore Lodge went on the market.
A deal was done within three days. The Evans closed on the Duke Street home Wednesday, with plans to restore the former Frogmore Masonic Lodge and boarding house as a single-family home.
Historic Beaufort Foundation and the Palmetto Trust for Historic Preservation sold the building for $65,000. The Historic Beaufort Foundation bought the building in 2012 for $15,000 and Palmetto Trust kicked in funds to help with stabilizing the towering, two-story structure.
Saving the building required a new concrete foundation, new roof and giant support beams in the front of the home.
The project cost $90,000, which included a matching federal grant. Historic Beaufort and the Palmetto Trust will split the proceeds and reinvest them into other properties.
That could include more targets on Duke Street, where the most recent owners already have a project started.
Glenn spent three decades building Evans Construction in Sumter. The custom home business thrived.
In Beaufort County, he has again taken on multiple projects, including building a another house on Duke Street. But with Frogmore Lodge, he wants to take his time.
As business grew in Sumter, Glenn stepped aside and let crews handle much of the work.
Starting fresh here, he has returned to the work.
"I had just told (Jenny) I would really like to have a downtown project that I could put my hands on myself," he said.
On a chilly Wednesday afternoon, Glenn and Jenny raved about the recently redeveloped street, which includes new sidewalks, lighting and on-street parking, and plotted the possibilities for inside the vast home.
The upstairs had been cleared as one large space for the lodge's meeting room.
Jenny envisions two bedrooms and bathrooms on the top floor, with a balcony off the back where there is an existing door.
A two-sided fireplace downstairs lends itself to an open floorplan, Jenny said. The couple feels the lot is big enough for a back porch or similar structure and a garage.
"It's really a blank canvas," Jenny said.
An architect has already begun early renderings for the week. Before construction, the plans must be approved by the Historic District Review Board.
Historic Beaufort will look for another target on the city's vacant and abandoned homes list. Money for the projects comes from a revolving fund that since the 1970s has helped save and restore 15 properties, Historic Beaufort director Maxine Lutz said.
The Palmetto Trust targets properties statewide. The nonprofit is currently targeting Gullah homes on Daufuskie Island, with two recently restored, Palmetto Trust director Michael Bedenbaugh said.
"Hopefully we're going to do some more," he said. "Knock on wood, we've got something stewing."
Follow reporter Stephen Fastenau on Twitter at twitter.com/IPBG_Stephen.
Related content:
- Work to stabilize Beaufort's Frogmore Lodge nearly complete, Sept. 3, 2015
- Preservation groups join forces to save Frogmore Lodge, Oct. 17, 2012
This story was originally published January 21, 2016 at 2:48 PM with the headline "Beaufort's historic Frogmore Lodge sells to St. Helena builder."