Glimpses of Charleston

A local's eye view

Houses/Buildings/Gates

A beautiful Charleston door on Short Street, just a quick stroll to Burbage's or Queen Street Grocery.
The Col. Thomas Pinckney House on Broad Street was built in 1829. They picked a good area, as its neighbors include the John Rutledge House (home to a signer of the US Constitution) and the home of Edward Rutledge (the youngest signer of the Declaration of Independence).
This little house, built in 1767, can be found on Church Street -- right down the block from the First Baptist Church.
An historic door on a c. 1818 Smith Street house, across from the 60 Bull Cafe, with a very distinctly not historic light!
A beautiful Charleston house on a beautiful Charleston day. Located on Rutledge Boulevard (not Avenue),  a bit down from the Horse Lot, this house has an elegant presence.
This beautiful house on Society Street was built in 1840. Just another incredible antebellum house in Charleston.
When the 200 year old facade of this building on King Street started bowing out and threatening to fall and crush pedestrians, the Nicks BBQ that had been there for 12 years had to move out. While no one was injured and the building has been stabilized and is being rehabilitated, the cheese biscuits they served have been missed.
These semi-aware lions guard the beautiful entrance of the Gaillard-Bennett House on Montagu Street. Robert E. Lee stayed there on his post war visit to Charleston.
This cute little pink house, built c.1850,  is located at 30 1/2 State Street in the French Quarter of Charleston.
This very cool looking building on East Bay Street was built as a bank, but later became the home for a restaurant -- Saracen. The name of the restaurant came from the Moorish Revival style of architecture that was described as "Saracenic."
This handsome house, built in 1929 on reclaimed land on South Battery, is picture perfect with its gold guardian.
This imposing front entrance can be found on the house at the corner of Murray Boulevard and Limehouse Street. Built by the man who developed the area, C. Bissell Jenkins, this was the first house on what is now the Low Battery.
This beautiful sun-dappled house on Church Street dates back to 1785. The cast ironwork was added in the 1820's. The difference between cast and wrought iron is that cast iron comes from the molten metal being poured into a mold, while wrought iron is shaped by hand (usually the hot metal is hammered into shape). 
This house is actually not schizophrenic, but connected individually owned row tenements. Built in about 1841 on land that was cleared on Wentworth Street after the great fire of 1838, originally there were seven connected buildings -- now six remain. 
This beautiful house on Tradd Street was built between 1834-36. Before the marsh was filled in to extend the Charleston peninsula, this was waterfront property. During the Civil War, a torpedo boat (which looks a lot like a small submarine) became stranded and then abandoned there. It is believed that its remains are still under Tradd Street in front of this house! You can see a photo of it here. So cool.
This little house (about 1000 sq. ft.) was built in 1890. While it looks like it should be out in the country, it is actually in downtown Charleston on Savage Street.
Built in 1838, this handsome house on Society Street is located in the Ansonborough neighborhood. Ansonborough is the original "borough" of Charleston -- which dates back to at least 1726.
The Mills House Hotel on Meeting Street is a distinctive beautiful pink building, with wonderful details.
The American and South Carolina flags proudly displayed over the iconic Sword Gate. 
This incredible wall is actually the side of a 1783 house that fronts Church Street. The wall helps form the entrance to Stolls Alley -- which is named after a local blacksmith, Justinus Stoll.
First Baptist Church was designed by the famed architect Robert Mills. Mills is perhaps best known for designing the Washington Monument, honoring the United States' first president.
The gate in front of this Charleston house was designed by Philip Simmons, the legendary Charleston blacksmith.  What an amazing, talented and wonderful man.
This beautiful building on Society Street was designed by the famed architect E.B. White. It was built in 1840-42 as the home for the High School of Charleston.
Following the Civil War, the citizens of Charleston gathered here (the Gaillard-Bennett House) to greet Robert E. Lee -- who spoke to them from the second level of the portico. Even without that, it's a pretty memorable sidewalk and house.
Neigh-bors
Unlike for other houses of its age with side piazzas (c. 1800),  this centrally located street front door is the main entrance to the house. After passing through its beautiful wrought iron gates, the door leads to a staircase that provides access to the main floor. You can find it on South Battery.
This is Randolph Hall at the College of Charleston, the historic heart of the college. Graduation will take place this weekend in the Cistern Yard,  located directly in front of it.
These twin doors on Bull Street were part of what was nicknamed “Bee’s Block” during the Civil War. It was named after their owner William C. Bee, who at the time owned a blockade-running firm. 
This pretty house on Church Street, and a number of other similar looking houses in the area, was built by something called the Charleston Improvement Corporation (CIC) in about 1906. Now a gorgeous residential area in the heart of the historic district, the property had previously been used for industrial purposes by the Charleston Hydraulic Press Company.
Some beautiful colors on a 1880 house on South Battery Once this house would have faced the Ashley River, but landfill has ruined its water view.
The final rays of the day's sun touching the top of the Col. John Ashe house on South Battery. Located across the street from White Point Garden, this house has seen a lot -- including the start of the Civil War and the hanging of pirates in the park.
The Blake Tenement was built between 1760 and 1772. Once a free-standing structure, it is now part of the Charleston County Judicial Center complex.
This pretty scene is on Cordes Street, near Waterfront Park. The area, which was once home to a number of wharfs, was developed between 1790 and 1800 -- primarily by a wealthy merchant and wharf owner Samuel Prioleau (pronounced "pray-low"). This street was named after his wife's family.
This beautiful set of doors can be found on a c. 1852 house on Logan Street, between Tradd and Broad Streets. As the only house on the block to survive the fire of 1861, it is the only antebellum house on the block. It later became the home of Susan Pringle Frost, the founder of the Preservation Society -- among her many achievements.
This beautiful house on Tradd Street was built c. 1765 as a double tenement, which required two sets of stairs. In the mid 19th century it was converted to a single family house, which eliminated the need for the second set of stairs.
The Mills House hotel on Meeting Street, traces its history back to 1853. Fortunately, it survived all the destruction in Charleston during the Civil War, which allowed it to host Glimpses' wedding reception in 1999  :)
William Gibbes, a wealthy planter who built this house in about 1772, never thought it would be seen from the street from this angle. He had expected people to approach the house by boat from the Ashley River -- into which he had built a 300 foot wharf. You can now cruise by it on South Battery.
This recently restored handsome house on Limehouse Street, built circa 1859, has a "masked" piazza -- where the brick of the house extends past the actual house and shields the piazza from the street.
This handsome house can be found on Church Street -- in the block above White Point Garden and below Atlantic Street. Church is paved with bricks at this point, which is an uncommon surface in Charleston.
The Fort Sumter House, at 1 King Street, is the only tall building south of Broad Street in Charleston. Originally a hotel, it's now a residence. Located across from White Point Garden, it has water, park and city views that are hard to beat.