Auldbrass Plantation showcases the architectural genius of Frank Lloyd Wright.
In 1939, builder C. Leigh Stevens called on Wright to design a self-sufficient, modern plantation for farming, hunting and entertaining.
In keeping with his theories of organic architecture, Wright designed Auldbrass to exist in harmony with the Lowcountry landscape. Native cypress boards, laid diagonally at 80 degree angles, make up the exterior of the buildings and the fence that marks the property’s border. Wright is said to have calculated the average angle that a live oak tree leans and concluded that 80 degrees was the ideal natural form for the Auldbrass Plantation.
Stevens owned Auldbrass until his death in 1962, when it passed on to his daughter, Jessica Steven Loring. After several subsequent owners, Hollywood producer Joel Silver bought the plantation. Silver, who produced such blockbuster hits as Die Hard and Beverly Hills Cop enjoys vacationing and entertaining at Auldbrass Plantation whenever his schedule permits. In Hollywood, he lives in Wright’s legendary Storer House, built in 1924.
Silver worked from Wright’s original plans. He enlisted the help of Wright’s grandson, Eric Lloyd Wright and completed the architectural vision for Auldbrass Plantation. This fulfilled Wright’s and Stevens’ dream and made Auldbrass a true architectural treasure.
Auldbrass sits among tall oaks dripping with Spanish moss on the edge of a lush cypress swamp. It is a low-lying complex of eccentric pavilions, animal enclosures and outbuildings. It exemplifies how Wright could design architecture to suit any environment. He incorporated decorative motifs inspired by local flora into the design of the buildings.
The abstract forms of ornamental rain spouts suggest hanging clusters of Spanish moss. Shades of rust and brown create a rustic effect at Auldbrass. Even the curbs of the paved paths that wind through the property are painted a rich rust color.
Informal, rustic and rambling, the main house feels like a Frank Lloyd Wright hunting lodge.
Today, the home features an elaborate media room and artifacts from Silver’s Hollywood days.
Auldbrass is a private estate. But, it does open its doors to the public every few years. This is as part of the Beaufort County Open Land Trust Plantation Tour. For more information, CLICK HERE
Article by Allison Hersh
