Work to stabilize Beaufort's Frogmore Lodge nearly complete

Work to stabilize the historic Frogmore Lodge in downtown Beaufort is nearly complete, a move that would clear the way for the property to be sold.

The Historic Beaufort Foundation and Palmetto Trust for Historic Preservation have worked to update the house to the point it is safe. The nonprofit groups then plan to sell the building -- a late 19th century structure located at 1407 Duke Street -- as a single-family home.

Russell Diller, owner of Russell J. Diller and Associates, walked the property with a camera Thursday morning. The foundation has been dug out and stabilized, ready for concrete footings to be poured Thursday afternoon.

The original brick piers will be replaced with concrete starting Friday, Diller said. Original bricks will be used as a facade to maintain the historic character.

His group rebuilt the roof more than a year ago, reframing the top and adding a new metal roof.

Once the piers are in place, the building will be lowered and secured to protect against hurricane damage. Once the piers are finished, the property will go on the market, Historic Beaufort Foundation staff assistant Sue Stanny said.

"Now no water will get into it; it will be on a good, strong foundation," Diller said. "It should be good to go."

The Historic Beaufort Foundation bought the property in 2012 for $15,000, and the Palmetto Trust offered a matching amount to begin restoration. The stabilizing work was expected to cost about $75,000, with the Historic Beaufort Foundation raising the money.

Proceeds from the sale would go to future restoration projects.

The Frogmore Lodge was built in 1870, according to a Beaufort County historic sites survey, though a sign on the building says 1880. The building probably once served as a boarding house, according to the foundation.

Frogmore Masonic Lodge No. 64 bought the building in the 1970s and used the second floor for a meeting hall until the 1990s.

Historic Beaufort notes that the lodge is "the only three-bay, gabled-front, post-Civil War house in the Northwest Quadrant."

Projects like the lodge are essential to maintaining the fabric of downtown Beaufort, Diller said. His company recently completed work on the Robert Smalls House at 511 Prince Street and also renovated the house adjacent to the lodge.

During the Robert Smalls work, crowds of 50 to 100 people would stand and watch and ask to take photos, Diller said.

"These old buildings, you only have one chance to save them," Diller said. "When they're gone, that's it."

Follow reporter Stephen Fastenau at twitter.com/IPBG_Stephen.

Related content:

• Preservation groups join forces to save Frogmore Lodge , Oct. 17, 2012

This story was originally published September 3, 2015 at 12:06 PM with the headline "Work to stabilize Beaufort's Frogmore Lodge nearly complete."