The History of CQ’s in Harbour Town Sea Pines Resort

From the moment you set foot on the polished, nineteenth-century heart of pine floors which were the original laid, you can look around and discern a sense of time passed of Hilton Head Island history. You can also sense the fun we've had.

CQ's was the first building to grace Harbour Town's landscape and was designed by Ralph Ballantine in 1970 for his own studio. 'Bal' was an artist and sculptor who moved to Hilton Head from the world of Chicago advertising. His illustrations include the 'Jolly Green Giant' - a self portrait of sorts, the 'good hands' of Allstate Insurance and the 'Bull' of Schlitz Malt Liquor fame. Bal chose the ground for his studio carefully, marking four stakes around the preserved stand of live oak trees to delineate his purchase.

Authentic materials were used, patterning the building after the rice barns common in the Lowcountry. The main dining room floor was acquired from a church in Jasper County, the rafters from a Savannah warehouse, and the staircase spindles, it is said, were taken from a house of questionable repute in Savannah.

The design of the building launched a successful architectural career for Bal; he then designed the Saddlebag Building next door, many island residences and the exteriors of the Harbour Town Shops.

As Harbour Town developed and grew, tourists began to wander into 'Bal's Place' each day, causing his creativity to suffer. So, in 1973, when 'Sig' Winehandle suggested sharing the building so that Sig could run a restaurant while Bal retained a smaller studio, CQ's was born. Bal added the lower room for his new studio, helped design the restaurant's interior and named the restaurant after Sig's son - Courtney Quentin.

The echoes of CQ's early days and the Island's centuries-old history remain with each room bearing a significance of Lowcountry remembrance. The main dining room, originally Bal's studio, is now the Plantation Room, redolent with history of the beginnings of Charles Fraser's Sea Pines and the old duck hunting days of the Thompsons, Hurleys, Thornes and Clydes (Hack family) when the Island was young and virtually uninhabited.

Sepia-toned photographs adorn the walls throughout the restaurant, elucidating the days of hard work and toil that gradually transported the island into its current era. In the Rice Room upstairs, which was once Bal's guest apartment, the Carolina Gold crop, which still grows today, is commemorated by photographs and samples of the actual harvest.

Adjacent to the Rice Room is the Indigo Room, which can be used for private dining and special occasions, named for the first successful crop that enriched many Lowcountry planters' lives. The lower dining room is the Cotton Room and illustrated along its far wall is a Joe Doolan mural depicting a Sea Island cotton plantation and its field, and shipping as its mode of export. Hanging in authentic gathering baskets from the room's rafters is actual South Carolina cotton, surrounded by photos and tools used for procuring the crop over a century ago.

With the acquisition by the Lowrey Group and their commitment to restoring the restaurant to its comfortable ambiance of the past, CQ’s once again has its “old days” charm. With its unique heritage in mind, the vision has been realized through an ambitious renovations program, which included highlighting the historical memorabilia and refurbishing the grounds and patio, all of which was completed in April 1994.

As one of the oldest and most nostalgic island restaurants, CQ’s remains today a tribute to the past and a testament to the gracious spirit of Southern hospitality and dining that still endures.

All of CQ's photographs, either original or duplicated, were obtained from a number of sources, including the Museum of Hilton Head and the State Historical Society.