A local's eye view
Broad Street is very festive looking during the holidays. This view includes some of the Four Corners of Law, the intersection of Broad and Meeting Streets. That phrase was coined by Robert Ripley, creator of Ripley’s Believe it or Not!
The Villa Margherita on South Battery always looks good, but it’s really eye-catching in holiday garb. Part of this house’s cool history is that it was designed by Frederick Dinkelberg, who helped design the Flatiron Building in New York.
The rear of the statue in the second floor window of this imposing house on Legare Street always catches my eye, even when the house is decorated for the holidays. I often wonder if this view is intentional.
These wreaths adorn the entry to the First Baptist Church on Church Street. The oldest baptist church in the south, First Baptist can trace its congregation’s roots back to 1682… to Kittery, Maine! In 1696, the pastor and 28 congregants moved to Charleston.
This beautiful building on Broad Street, built in 1783, was once owned by James Simons — who, among other things, commanded the militia that launched the initial attack on Fort Sumter in 1861 — starting the Civil War.
This beautifully decorated door is next to the house on Church Street in which DuBose Heyward wrote the novel “Porgy” — which became the basis for the famous “Porgy and Bess.“
This festive c. 1835 house on Legare Street, while over 7800 square feet, is just another example of a Charleston single house — where there is a central entrance and staircase, and the house is just one room deep… no matter how large or small the house might be.
The Villa Margherita on South Battery would make a pretty great holiday present. Built c. 1895 as a private residence, it was used as a hotel for 40 years during the early to mid-1900s. Notable guests include 3 US presidents, Henry Ford and Alexander Graham Bell (I wonder if he called and let Watson know where he was).
This wreath-wearing gorgeous gate can be found on Church Street, along “The Bend.” If you look closely, you will see that the front door to the house is not symmetrical with the gate — the house was damaged by a hurricane in 1752 and the door migrated to the right in the subsequent repairs.
Built in 1838-39, the Roper House on East Battery is one of the most significant Greek Revival houses in Charleston. If all had gone well, it never would have existed in that location as the land was originally intended to be part of White Point Garden at the tip of the peninsula — but the city needed the money and sold that strip of land off for development.