Atalaya Castle (US)

Atalaya was built near the Atlantic Ocean 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.{{cite web | url=http://www.answers.com/topic/anna-hyatt-huntington | title=Anna Hyatt Huntington | work=Answers.com}}

The {{convert|200x200|ft|m|adj=on}} 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.'{{cite web | title = Preserving Atalaya, an Unusual Home | work = South Carolina State Parks | url = http://www.southcarolinaparks.com/stewardship-services/resource_management/rm-preserving-atalaya.aspx | accessdate = 14 April 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100101090156/http://southcarolinaparks.com/stewardship-services/resource_management/rm-preserving-atalaya.aspx | archive-date = 1 January 2010 | url-status = dead }}{{cite web | last = | first = |authorlink = | title = South Carolina - Georgetown County | work = National Register of Historic places | publisher = | date = | url = http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/SC/Georgetown/state.html | doi= | accessdate = }} Local labor was used at Archer Huntington's insistence to provide work for a community hard hit by the Great Depression.

Atalaya (ah-tuh-LIE-yuh) means "watchtower" in Spanish, as in the real Atalaya Castle in Spain. The house is dominated by a square tower, which housed a {{convert|3000|USgal|l|adj=on}} water tank.{{cite web|title=Atalaya |work=Friends of Huntington Beach State Park |url=http://www.huntingtonbeachstatepark.com/Atalaya.htm |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100804073427/http://www.huntingtonbeachstatepark.com/Atalaya.htm |archivedate=2010-08-04 }} Rising nearly {{convert|40|ft|m}} 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 {{convert|25|ft|m|adj=on}} 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.

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 just across U.S. Route 17, which cut through the Huntingtons' former contiguous property.

The {{convert|2500|acre|ha|adj=on}} 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 in 1984, and was included in the designation of Atalaya and Brookgreen Gardens (along with the sculpture garden at Brookgreen Gardens) as a National Historic Landmark District in 1992.{{cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1876&ResourceType=Building

|title=Atalaya and Brookgreen Gardens |accessdate=2008-02-15|work=National Historic Landmark summary listing|publisher=National Park Service}}{{Cite web|title=National Historic Landmark Nomination: Atalaya and Brookgreen Gardens|url={{NHLS url|id=84002045}} |format=pdf|date=April 15, 1992 |author=Jill S. Mesirow and Page Putnam Miller |publisher=National Park Service}} {{NHLS url|id=84002045|title=Accompanying 26 photos, exterior and interior, from 1992|photos=y}} {{small|(32 KB)}}.

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.{{cite web|url= http://www.atalayafestival.com/|title= Atalaya Arts and Crafts Festival|accessdate= 2008-09-07| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080916172811/http://www.atalayafestival.com/| archivedate= 16 September 2008 | url-status= live}}

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

{{commons category|Atalaya Castle}}

{{Reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20030606004828/http://www.huntingtonbeachstatepark.com/ Friends of Huntington Beach State Park]
• [http://www.atalayacastle.com/ Friends of Atalaya Castle]
• [https://embed.widencdn.net/pdf/plus/scprt/2lfonfeyal/24-SCP-4937_Atalaya_Map_Update_2024_v3%20(1).pdf Atalaya Castle] (South Carolina State Parks, March 2024)

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{{National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina}}

Category:Historic house museums in South Carolina

Category:Museums in Georgetown County, South Carolina

Category:Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina

Category:Houses completed in 1933

Category:Moorish Revival architecture in South Carolina

Category:Mediterranean Revival architecture in the United States

Category:National Register of Historic Places in Georgetown County, South Carolina

Category:Houses in Georgetown County, South Carolina

Category:Historic district contributing properties in South Carolina

Category:Huntington family