Arguably the city's most recognizable building, Lookaway Hall sits where Georgia and Carolina avenues converge.
The Greek Revival mansion, with its Ionic columns and wide porches, was built for Walter Jackson in 1895.
Kathleen Gibson, a former employee at the home when it was operated as a bed and breakfast, said it has a colder ambiance inside than its sister home, Rosemary Hall, but it's still a grand home.
"It's just a world of difference in the feeling of the two houses," she said. "It feels like home in Rosemary."
Gibson worked with Rhonda and Larry Conner before they closed the business two years ago.
Local historian Jeanne McDaniel said not much is known about Walter, who is most notable for being the brother of city founder James U. Jackson.
He was the general manager of the North Augusta Land Company, which was owned by James.
Gibson said James was the better known brother and the two worked closely together.
"James got most of the credit," she said.
Walter's former home sits on a plot of land that was originally supposed to contain both Lookaway and Rosemary halls.
The land was probably too small to contain both grand houses, McDaniel said.
Legend has it that a cut of cards determined which brother would build there. Walter won the property and built his home facing Augusta.
"I think the other Mr. Jackson figured since Walter got the prime spot, he was going to have the prime house," Gibson said.
He did not seem to take the care with planning his home that James did, she said.
"I think he just wanted a house that sat on that hill overlooking the river," Gibson said.
The home belonged to the Mealing family for years. In 1992, Consul Court bought Rosemary and Lookaway halls and ran them as bed and breakfasts.
During renovations, they left the kitchen in the basement.
A gentlemen's parlor was converted into a bathroom, upgraded the plumbing and electrical wiring and changed little else within the original house.
Walter died in 1922, and his son George resided there until his own death in 1934.
It was George who named it Lookaway Hall for the breathtaking view from the front veranda.
"After a day's work, he could sit out there (on the veranda) and enjoy that view," McDaniel said. "If you think, in those days, it was like the Hampton Terrace. There were no trees (to block the view). You could have seen all the way to the river," McDaniel said.
This is a series that features historic homes and buildings in North Augusta.
Reach Lisa Kaylor at lisa.kaylor@northaugustatoday.com.
