Isaqueena facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Isaqueena (Gassaway Mansion)
|
|
Isaqueena (Gassaway Mansion), 2013
|
|
 Location in South Carolina
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 106 Dupont Drive, Greenville, South Carolina |
|---|---|
| Area | 2 acres (0.81 ha) |
| Built | 1919-24 |
| Architect | Minnie Quinn Gassaway |
| Architectural style | Neo-Gothic and neoclassical |
| NRHP reference No. | 82003859 |
| Added to NRHP | July 1, 1982 |
Isaqueena, also known as the Gassaway Mansion, is a really big and old house in Greenville, South Carolina. It's the largest private home in the Upstate region! In 1982, it was added to a special list called the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's an important historical building.
Building a Dream Home
This huge house has 40 rooms! It was built between 1919 and 1924. A man named Walter L. Gassaway, who was a banker and owned textile mills, had it built. His wife, Minnie Quinn Gassaway, actually designed the house herself. She took a special course in architecture to learn how!
Mrs. Gassaway loved to use the mansion for parties and fun events. She hosted card games and musical gatherings in the music room and ballroom. She also looked after the huge 110-acre property. This estate even had a working farm and a dairy.
Unique Design and Features
The Gassaway Mansion is a very special building because it mixes different styles. It combines elements of neo-Gothic and neoclassical designs.
You can see this mix in its features. For example, it has six large columns, a special window called a Palladian window, and a tower that looks like a castle. There are also two patios on the roof and a huge covered entrance for cars. Some of the stone used to build the house came from an old mill. This mill was owned by Vardry McBee, who helped found Greenville.
A House with Many Lives
Walter Gassaway passed away in 1930. The next year, his wife, Minnie, moved out of Isaqueena. She moved to a smaller home closer to downtown Greenville, which she also designed.
Most of the large estate was sold off for new houses. The mansion itself was turned into apartments for people to rent. In 1959, a new art museum, the Greenville Art Museum, bought the building. They used it for their museum and even built an art school on the property.
The art museum moved to a new building in 1974. After that, the mansion was empty for a few years. In 1977, it was bought and used as a church and a school. In the 1990s, the building became a private home again. Today, it is often rented out as a beautiful place for weddings and other events.
