Pete Hollis Gateway Plan - City of Greenville

Pete Hollis Gateway Plan
Pete Hollis History
James Street Neighborhood
The following information has been complied directly from The Historic
Resources of Greenville, South Carolina; prepared by Building Conservation
Technology, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee, 1981.
The James and Earle Street neighborhoods evolved around the large estate of
the Earle family. Col. Elias Earle moved to Greenville County in the late 18 th
century and acquired lands to the north of the city. In 1813, Earle sold much of
his property to Henry Middleton of Charleston who built the home at 310 E. Earle
known as “Whitehall” as his summer residence. Middleton later sold this house
back to the Earle family and their descendants have continued to occupy the
house. The area along James Street was also Earle property after 1834, when
33 acres were bought by Elias Drayton Earle. Earle acquired not only the land
but a house at 107 James Street. The exact construction date of this house is
not known, but is believed to have been on the site by 1826 and possibly as early
as 1810. Both the Elias Earle house and “Whitehall” are important landmarks in
the city and have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The land along James Street was the first area to be subdivided by the Earle
family. By the late 19 th century, lots had been sold and the Victorian style houses
at 100 and 102 James were constructed. The area near the intersection of
James and Buncombe was not subdivided until later and most of these homes
are of the ca. 1920 Colonial Revival style. James Street has recently been
designated as a local Historic Preservation Area and has been nominated to the
National Register of Historic Places.
Earle Street was also laid out and subdivided in the early 20 th century. The land
at the northwest corner of West Earle and Rutherford Street was the front lawn of
Whitehall. Florida L. Stone gave the lots facing these streets to her seven
remaining children. By 1915 this land was already experiencing residential
development. These early homes showed varied styles reflecting the transition
from Victorian architecture into more contemporary styles. Building designs from
this period include the Dutch Colonial home at 108 W. Earle, shingle-style home
at 107 W. Earle, and the Classic Revival McSwain home at 715 N. Main. Other
vernacular style homes were also built on Earle during this decade.
Volume I: Vision and Concept Plan 13