Atalaya Castle, often known simply as Atalaya, was the winter home of industrialist and philanthropist

Archer M. Huntington Archer Milton Huntington (March 10, 1870 – December 11, 1955) was an American philanthropist and scholar, primarily known for his contributions to the field of Hispanic studies. He founded the Hispanic Society of America in New York City, an ...

and his wife, the sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington, located in Huntington Beach State Park near the Atlantic coast in Murrells Inlet,

Georgetown County, South Carolina Georgetown County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 63,404. Its county seat is Georgetown, South Carolina, Georgetown. The count ...

. Archer Huntington was a noted scholar of Spanish culture and art, and designed the residence in the

Moorish Revival Moorish Revival or Neo-Moorish is one of the exotic revival architectural styles that were adopted by architects of Europe and the Americas in the wake of Romanticism, Romanticist Orientalism. It reached the height of its popularity after the mi ...

and

Mediterranean Revival architecture Mediterranean Revival is an architectural style introduced in the United States, Canada, and certain other countries in the 19th century. It incorporated references to Architecture of the Spanish Renaissance, Spanish Renaissance, Spanish Colonia ...

styles from Spanish Andalusian coast models.

Residence

Atalaya was built near the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

in northeastern South Carolina, within present day Huntington Beach State Park. The location was chosen as a milder winter retreat for the health of Anna Huntington, who suffered from tuberculosis from the mid-twenties to the mid-thirties. The masonry structure was built from 1931 to 1933 apparently without drawn plans, Archer Huntington had already designed the residence for them with his detailed imagination 'in his head.' Local labor was used at Archer Huntington's insistence to provide work for a community hard hit by the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

Description

Atalaya (ah-tuh-LIE-yuh) means "watchtower" in Spanish, as in the real Atalaya Castle in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. The house is dominated by a square tower, which housed a water tank. Rising nearly from a covered walkway, it bisects Atalaya's inner court. The inner walls of the main courtyard were covered with creeping fig vines, Sabal palmettos, the South Carolina state tree, and other palms. The living quarters consist of 30 rooms around three sides of the perimeter, while the studio, with its skylight, opens onto a small, enclosed courtyard where Anna Hyatt Huntington worked on her sculptures. Pens for animal models, including horses, dogs and bears, are situated adjacent to the open studio. The building also features hand-wrought iron grills designed by Mrs. Huntington, which cover the exteriors of windows. These and shutters were installed for protection against hurricane winds.

Transition

During World War II the Huntingtons vacated Atalaya and provided it to the Army Air Corps for use from 1942 to 1946. The Huntingtons last used Atalaya as their winter home in 1947. Most of the furnishings were sent to New York City after Mr. Huntington's death in 1955. The studio equipment was moved to a new studio at

Brookgreen Gardens Brookgreen Gardens is a sculpture garden and wildlife preserve, located just south of Murrells Inlet, in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The property includes several themed gardens featuring American figurative sculptures, the Lowcountry Zo ...

just across

U.S. Route 17 U.S. Route 17 or U.S. Highway 17 (US 17), also known as the Coastal Highway, is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that spans in the Southeastern United States. It runs close to the East Coast of the United States, At ...

, which cut through the Huntingtons' former contiguous property.

Public era

The tract was leased to the state in 1960 for use as a state park. Mrs. Huntington died in 1973. Atalaya Castle was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1984, and was included in the designation of Atalaya and Brookgreen Gardens (along with the sculpture garden at

) as a

National Historic Landmark District A National Historic Landmark District (NHLD) is a geographical area that has received recognition from the United States Government that the buildings, landscapes, cultural features and archaeological resources within it are of the highest signific ...

in 1992. . The Friends of Huntington Beach State Park offer guided tours of Atalaya and operate the Atalaya Visitor Center with exhibits about the house and the Huntingtons. The annual Atalaya Arts and Crafts Festival is held each year in late September.

Photos

Image:Atalaya1.jpg, Atalaya, ocean front Image:Atalaya north side.jpg, Atalaya, north side Image:Atalaya tower.JPG, The tower Image:Atalaya2.jpg, Covered Walkway Image:Atalaya4.jpg, Wrought iron grill on window Image:Atalaya6.jpg, Courtyard Image:Atalaya inside courtyard.jpg, Inside Courtyard Walk Image:Atalaya7.jpg, Entrance Image:Atalaya back.jpg, Back

References

Footnotes

External links

Friends of Huntington Beach State ParkFriends of Atalaya CastleAtalaya Castle
(South Carolina State Parks, March 2024) {{National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina Historic house museums in South Carolina Museums in Georgetown County, South Carolina Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina Houses completed in 1933 Moorish Revival architecture in South Carolina Mediterranean Revival architecture in the United States National Register of Historic Places in Georgetown County, South Carolina Houses in Georgetown County, South Carolina Historic district contributing properties in South Carolina Huntington family