Foreclosed Bluffton landmark Rose Hill mansion could be yours. Here’s how much it’ll cost
A piece of Bluffton history, the Rose Hill Mansion, is for sale.
The home that sits on just over 12 acres at 199 Rose Hill Way was listed Friday for $1.839 million. The property is bank-owned after a foreclosure.
Beaufort County tax information lists the owner as Chevy Chase Funding LLC of Greenwood Village, Colorado.
Photos with the listing on the Hilton Head MLS site show the home is empty of furnishings.
The home has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since May 1983.
“The reason why is not because of its age but more importantly because of its architecture,” explained real estate broker Frank Moriarty of Shelton Properties Coastal, who is handling the sale.
The documentation submitted for the home’s inclusion on the register describes it as an “exceptional example of antebellum Gothic Revival residential architecture.”
In particular, it notes the proportions of the home with its tall, steep roof line; vertical board and batten siding; clustered piers; and the size, shape and ornamentation of the windows. It also cites the “extraordinary craftsmanship” and the quality of the interior millwork.
The history of the home outlined in the documentation says construction was started about 1858-60 by Dr. John Kirk for his family but was not completed before they relocated to Grahamville during the Civil War.
“In 1860, at which time he probably resided at Rose Hill, he owned real estate valued at $50,000, personal property valued at $152,000, and 154 slaves,” the register nomination form states.
A history of the plantation on the Rose Hill community’s website says it is unclear why Union forces did not destroy Rose Hill as they did other homes during the Civil War.
Later owners
The home stayed in the Kirk family until the 1930s, though it was largely unoccupied, and in 1946 it was purchased by John and Betsy Sturgeon, who hired architect Willis Irvin to preserve the home and match the new construction to the old.
Other highlights noted on the home’s official website:
1980: The Welton family’s Rose Hill Plantation Development Co. purchased the land to create a residential community.
1987: A fire caused the copper roof to melt and cave in, and the home sustained extensive damage.
1996: The house was purchased by the Middleton White Foundation and restored as a private home. It was open for tours and could be rented for weddings and other gatherings.
Moriarty said the covenants of the Rose Hill Plantation community are written in such a way to allow the mansion to be used as a bed and breakfast or for private events.
He said there are no restrictions on what a new owner could do to modify the exterior of the home, but if the historic appearance is changed, that would also change the home’s listing on the national register.
“If the roof line changed,” he explained, “then it would not qualify.”
Modern appearances
The historic home is on the northeast side of Rose Hill Plantation, and it is featured in the community’s logo.
The 8,222-square-foot home has six bedrooms, seven full bathrooms and two half-baths across its three stories and detached guest house.
While much of the house appears in photos to need updating, Moriarty said the electrical and sewage systems are modern. The floors in the kitchen and laundry are brick.
Photos show an elegantly curved staircase in the home’s main hall, along with intricately carved, massive fireplaces in the living room, family room and parlor.
In the library, built-in bookshelves flank an archway that mirrors the home’s windows. The home’s doors are solid oak, and the ceilings are soaring.
Said Moriarty: “The architecture and woodwork are just fantastic.”
This story was originally published December 14, 2021 at 10:25 AM.
