Mount Pleasant Homes

Charleston Real Estate

Summerville
Real Estate

Historic Charleston Condos For Sale

IOP & Wild Dunes
Real Estate

Dunes West Homes

North Myrtle Beach
Homes For Sale

Condos for Sale
Wild Dunes Condos
Kiawah Real Estate
Kiawah Island Real Estate

  RJ Denton Architecture: Paradise on Wild Dunes

1204 PALM BLD. • ISLE OF PALMS, SC
843-886-8395

By Danielle Theobald

Imagine living on the 17th hole of the Wild Dunes golf course and having a view of the marsh, the ocean, Dewees Island, and the Intracoastal Waterway from virtually every room of your home.  These views, as well as a dramatic interior are exactly what you'll find at the residence of John and Jean Denning.

Designed by architect Ron Denton, this 3500 square foot dwelling offers the Dennings an open floor plan ideal for entertaining. The plan also allows the Dennings to have the luxury of being able to enjoy their majestic views without the obstruction of walls and enclosed areas.

Upon entering the home from the cozy front porch, one cannot help but become captivated by the eight-foot windows at the far end of the great room and kitchen, as well as the foyer's thirty-foot geometrically angled ceiling.  To the right of the foyer is the dining room; rather than using a wall to separate the area, columns were built to create an unobtrusive division from the main entryway. A partial wall, less than four feet high, was also built to accommodate a small piece of furniture the Dennings wanted in their dining room.

Behind the dining area is the kitchen.  In order to provide ample counter space and storage, there is an angled island in the center. From this vantage point, Jean is able to enjoy the view, as well as remaining accessible to friends and family who may be in the great room, the dining room or on the back deck.

When designing the deck, Denton intentionally lowered the height so that the view from the kitchenand great room would not be obstructed. If it were built on the same level as the first floor, all that would be seen when seated would be the railing.

Also located on the first floor is the master bedroom and bath.  Since one entire wall of the master bedroom is made up of windows and a glass door leading to the deck, theDennings decided to incorporate a dressing area in between the bedroom and bathroom, providing both privacy for dressing and space for personal items.

Designed to be the primary floor in which the Dennings live, there is also a powder room, laundry area and small office for John which can readily be made into a fifth bedroom.  There is also access to the garage where John has a fully enclosed workroom.

There are three bedrooms on the second floor, the front two of which have a private sun deck overlooking the marsh, fairway and ocean. These rooms are designed in a similar fashion to the downstairs area with full-length windows to maximize light and openness.

As an added bonus, the result of the high pitch of the roof, the Dennings have attic storage space that runs the entire width of the house.

When I asked John and Jean how they made their final decision to choose Ron Denton as their architect, they explained that he was simply the person who best fit their needs and personality.

Finch Properties sold the land to the Sea Pines Company of Hilton Head Island, a developer of planned communities. They were responsible for the planning, zoning, and development of the site, and named it the Isle of Palms Beach and Racquet Club.

Sea Pines sold the resort in November 1975, when Wilbur Smith and Associates became a 50 percent investor with Finch Properties in the project. They opened their first offices in the Isle of Palms Motel which stood across from the present site of Red and White grocery store.

As the resort prospered and grew, the decision to introduce golf into the master plan was given the go-ahead and thus, the Wild Dunes Links Course was created. Designed by Tom Fazio, one of the world's premier golf course architects who takes pride in protecting environmental landmarks, the Wild Dunes Links Course opened in 1980 and became a world-ranked course by Golf Magazine within 18 months. The prestigious and highly successful Links Course almost immediately became a cornerstone for the resort and residential community.

By 1981, the Wild Dunes Links Course had received such high acclaim and publicity that Finch Properties combined the name of the course with the name of the resort, thus becoming Wild Dunes Resort.

The year 1983 marked the purchase of the resort and its world-class amenities by Wild Dunes Associates. Wild Dunes reached a pinnacle in 1988 when Golf Magazine awarded Wild Dunes "The Gold Medal" which placed "Charleston's island resort" among the top-12 golf resorts in America. Additionally, the United States Tennis Association selected Wild Dunes as the site of the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships which received exposure on national television.

On September 21, 1989, the island was visited by a force of nature named Hugo, one of the most destructive hurricanes ever to strike the United States. The eye passed directly over Isle of Palms and Wild Dunes. Just as the South has enjoyed a long history of coming back stronger than ever after disasters such as wars, earthquakes and major fires, Wild Dunes quickly recovered from Hurricane Hugo.

In February, 1990, Destination Wild Dunes was formed as an affiliate of Destination Hotels and Resorts, Inc., the property management division of Lowe Enterprises, Inc., to purchase the on-site rental management and conference business at Wild Dunes.

In 1993, Destination Wild Dunes purchased the Links Course and its Clubhouse, consolidating the resort under one ownership. The opening of the Isle of Palms Connector in August 1993 added to the property established at Wild Dunes.

The Grand Pavilion complex, in the midst of construction at the time of Hugo, is long complete with its Victorian-style boardwalk surrounded by the rainbow row-inspired Boardwalk Homes. Designed so that each four-bedroom home may be divided into three self-contained "hotel-style" rooms with a one-bedroom suite, these unique homes were the beginning of the "final phase" of development for Wild Dunes Resort.

The latest chapter to this fascinating history of Wild Dunes is the Boardwalk Inn. Opened in January, 1998, and designed with a four-star, four diamond ranking in mind, The Boardwalk Inn adds to the already outstanding amenities and facilities of Wild Dunes Resort.

Just 10 minutes from Mount Pleasant, 20 minutes from downtown Charleston and 30 minutes from the Charleston International Airport, access to Wild Dunes is a quick and easy as yet another chapter unfolds its rich and colorful history.