This colorful Victorian home in the Eastlake architectural design contributes to the beauty of downtown Anderson. Built around 1893 for banker and textile magnate James Albert Brock and his wife, Eleanor Reed Brock, the home rests on the rose garden of the former property of Brock’s father-in-law, Judge Jacob Pinckney Reed.
The home later was occupied by the Brocks’ daughter and her husband, Mr. and Mrs. Donald Erwin Brown. It was eventually purchased by Mr. and Mrs. White Brown, who owned a local hardware store called White Jones Hardware.
The Brock-Brown-Hall House is listed in the Anderson Historic District of the National Register as 710 McDuffie Street:
Anderson came into being in 1826 with the formation of Anderson County, and as a courthouse seat, the community was quick to develop. With cotton being grown in the region, industrialization arrived in the form of cotton mills, bringing the town to city status by the beginning of the twentieth century.
The Anderson historic district contains a variety of architectural styles including Greek Revival, Romanesque Revival, Victorian, and Colonial Revival. The district is primarily comprised of residential buildings, but also includes a number of churches, the buildings dating from antebellum times to the turn of the nineteenth century.
Reflections on the Brock-Brown-Hall House
Contributor Cheryl McManus shares with us this insight from her aunt, long-time Anderson resident Barbara Scott, who diligently searched for more information on this gracious home:
This incredible piece of architecture is straight across the street from my church, Grace Episcopal Church, on McDuffie Street in Anderson. I actually interviewed a 90-something-year old man at church tonight to see what he knew about the house. He told me quite a bit about the original owners, their children, who married whom, etc. The piece of information highlighted below lists the home’s owners over time.
The house was built in 1893. Bill and I actually knew the last owners listed, Mr. and Mrs. White Jones. Yes, White was his first name. He and his wife Betty owned White Jones Hardware stores which are still the “place to shop” in Anderson. Any time Jane came over here to visit us with MaMa and PaPa, they always wanted to go to White Jones to shop. Jane bought bird feeders from there. They had the finest kitchenwares anywhere in town. It was one of my favorite places to shop, too. The stores are still here but are now Ace Hardware stores. They’re still great. [The house] sits unoccupied at this point in time and has been empty for quite a few years. It would probably take a fortune to maintain it in its well-deserved glory.
Is this house available to the public? Was wanting to take prom pictures here!
The house does serve as a private residence but is viewable from the public street, you could still try and use it as a backdrop from publicly accessible right-of-ways. Good luck on the prom photos!