Tuesday, November 8, 2011

High Time in the Low Country

Drayton Hall.
Photo:  Historic American Building Survey.
Charleston, South Carolina, is a very picturesque and unique city.  Charles Town, named for King Charles II, was established as a community in 1670 by English settlers from Bermuda, on the west bank of the Ashley River.  Soon, it relocated further down to its present location, at the confluence of the Ashley and Cooper rivers which flow together into the Atlantic Ocean.  Although the site first made it suseptible to attacks from Spain, France, Native Americans, and pirates, the location enabled 18th century Charleston to become the hub of Atlantic trade for the southern colonies and the wealthiest city south of Philadelphia.
The Great Hall of Drayton Hall, built about 1740, one of the finest examples of Georgian architecture inspired by Andrea Palladio in the United States.  The property was a cattle ranch before becoming a rice plantation.  It is remarkably preserved with few changes.  For more information about visiting this unique property, see the website, www.draytonhall.org/
Photo:  Historic American Building Survey.
Middleton Place is considered America's oldest landscaped gardens, with camillias thought to be the first in this country.  Henry Middleton was known to have owned a 1737-8 translation of THE FOUR BOOKS OF ARCHITECTURE by Andrea Palladio.  Most of the original house was burned in 1865 by Union troops, but the gentleman's guest quarters wing remains;  it was renovated in 1869 and given distinctive Dutch gable ends.  Information about visiting this unique property can be seen at the website, www.middletonplace.org/
Photo:  Middleton Place.

Deer skins, used for a wide range of products from clothing to book bindings, were the basis of Charleston's early economy.  Tea, silk, rice and indigo were cash crops that bolstered the shipping industry, along with the slave trade.  The 1793 invention of the cotton gin made that crop South Carolina's major export.
The Miles Brewton House, still in private ownership, is another Palladio influenced house, 1765-69.  The accessory gothick building to the right is a carriage house with the facade added in the second quarter of the 19th century; there are additional dependencies beyond.
Photo:  Historic American Building Survey.
The Dining Room of the Miles Brewton House.  The chandelier was added by a subsequent owner later in the 18th century.  During a recent restoration, remnants of the original blue painted paper with gilt decoration that adorned the cove ceiling were found and reproduced.
Photo:  Historic American Building Survey.
The great wealth brought social and cultural opportunities.  In 1736, the first theatre building in the United States was built in Charleston.  The Charleston Library Society was established in 1748 and the College of Charleston was established in 1770.  In 1798, The Bank of South Carolina, the second oldest building in the nation that was constructed as a bank, was established in Charleston.  The wealth was also reflected in some exceptional examples of architecture.
The Joseph Manigault House, built 1803, is open to the public as a house museum.  Information about visiting his property can be viewed at their website, www.charlestonmuseum.org/joseph-manigault-house
Photo:  Historic American Building Survey.
The Nathaniel Russell House, 1808, is also a house museum open to the public.  For more information, see their website at www.historiccharleston.org/experience/nrh/
Photo:  Historic American Building Survey.
Market Hall, built in 1841 to a classic Roman design by Edward Brickell White, replaced a 1788 building that burned.  The Pinckney family donated the property to the city, but stipulated that it would revert to the family if used for any other purpose.  Located at 188 Meeting Street, the adjoining sheds are still commercially used today.
Photo:  Historic American Building Survey.
After the Civil War, the economy of Charleston languished for decades.  But this financial downturn meant the preservation of blocks of historic buildings and provided the basis for a booming tourist industry, still strong even in the current economic climate.
The Sword Gate House, built in 1808 and located at 32 Legare Street, is still a private residence.  But it is offered for sale for $23,000,000.
Photo:  Historic American Building Survey.

The fascinating story of the early period of culture will be presented in a talk by Thomas Savage in an event sponsored by Decorative Arts Trust.  "High Time in the Low Country:  Charleston in the Eighteenth Century" will be presented Saturday, November 12, 2011, at 2 pm at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art.  Admission to the talk is free with museum admission.  For more information about Decorative Arts Trust, see the website here.
Thomas Savage is shown here with two of his favorite Thomas Frye mezzotints.
Photo:  Laszlo Bodo, Winterthur.

Mr. Savage's book THE CHARLESTON INTERIOR is available for purchase at a discount with the option of free shipping here.

17 comments:

  1. I like the landscaped gardens at Middleton Place, looks very interesting.

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  2. How lucky you are to be able to attend one of Thomas Savage's lectures! He is so knowledgeable and exuberant. Makes me want to fly to Memphis for the day!

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  3. Wish we could all be there. To me Charleston is inexhaustible. Still have crisp memories of my first early childhood trip there with my parents to see the gardens. Happily, I never got over it.

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  4. MLHB, the gardens, especially, are very interesting.

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  5. TPoC, sometimes there are cheap flights Atlanta, Ga - Tunica, MS, about an hour outside Memphis. But you know enough people to carpool some time. Our next speaker, on Saturday morning, January 28, will be Thomas Jayne who will present "The Finest Rooms in America". And I know you would enjoy Anne Sebba who has written a new book on the Duchess of Windsor.

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  6. Bob, thanks for commenting!

    Terry, Charleston is indeed a memorable city. Decorative Arts Trust is planning a trip in the spring to coordinate with the dates of both the garden tours and the gala opening of the antique show.

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  7. I grew up visiting Charleston multiple times every year and have lived there for the last 5. I've just left for a new adventure in NYC, but a piece of my heart will always be in that city. There are so many wonderful little buildings that you only notice after living there for a while... The most spectacular house museum, which is often overshadowed by the Nathaniel Russel or the Manigault is the Aiken-Rhett House. It is a little out of the way, but shouldn't be missed.

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  8. JWC, I agree with you that the Aiken-Rhett House is a preserved treasure. I had the privilege of being guided through the house museum by my friend and former classmate, the noted Charleston architect Glenn Keyes who oversaw the repairs after Hurricane Hugo.

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  9. On my very long list of life regrets, a case of irrational exuberance, that resulted in NOT buying two Thomas Frye portrait mezzotints ranks high.

    On the other hand, Charleston---be still my heart. My only regret there is that I haven't been in too many years.

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  10. D.E.D., I am sure the two you admired were exceptional. These are titled A FASHIONABLE LADY and A PORTRAIT OF A GENTLEMAN, by the way. Thank you for commenting.

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  11. Dahhling what a FAB post! I have been to almost all the houses & locations you mentioned. They are beautiful. The Middleton Plantation, has an ultra modern steel & concrete Inn that is connected by a trail to the formal gardens. At sunset one can sit out in the lawn & look down on the ashley river...so beautiful.
    Perhaps one day you will grace us with a visit & a subsequent post of Charleston's sister city: our little Garden, Savannah.

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  12. Charleston is a place I have on my list to visit and this confirms my vague ideas that go with the magical place name. The Middleton Place gardens look amazing.

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  13. Wonderful post, dear Classicist!
    I happen to own the Thomas Savage book on Charleston Interiors,
    so envy anyone fortunate enough to attend his lecture.

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  14. HRH, the gardens and squares of Savannah are indeed notable, but what I cherish is the Regency architecture!

    Gesbi, Charleston is indeed a magical place and a remarkable treasure trove of both gardens and architecture. I love seeing the "single house" model with the side verandah or piazza reinterpreted over a couple of hundred years to embrace all the architectural styles: Georgian, Federal, Regency, Greek Revival, Italianate, Neo-Grec, Queen Anne, Arts & Crafts, Neo-Classical Revival, Colonial Revival, etc.

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  15. Toby, although I have been acquainted with Mr Savage for over 20 years, I have never attended a public speaking engagement of his. But by all accounts, I am in for a real treat.

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  16. Dear Readers, I have made some revisions in the text for the Miles Brewton House after attending Mr. Savage's talk. It was the custom in Charleston houses to have the Dining Room on the second floor; often it was the largest and most decorated room in the house. There is a contemporary written account of the Brewton Dining Room and a description of the ceiling. During the circa 1990 restoration, fragments of the ceiling paper, enough to reproduce it, were found in a rat's nest, along with some other interesting items. The facade of the adjacent carriage house was added in the second quarter of the 19th century, making it Gothic Revival (and not 18th century Gothick with a "k").

    Thomas Savage will soon be giving talks about that great influence on the Gothic Revival, Horace Walpole's Strawberry Hill, and The Devoted Classicist highly recommends attending if at all possible.

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