14 www.CharlestonWomenPodcast.com | www.ReadCW.com | www.Instagram.com /CharlestonWomen In the fall, the Preservation Society of Charleston provides another highly anticipated opportunity to tour private residences with its Insider’s Architecture and History Tours. This event highlights the interiors of homes in the city, and tours are led by professional architects and historians. Additionally, the Society offers the House and Garden Tours which focus primarily on lovely secret gardens but also include the interiors of some select homes. Daily, there are plenty of opportunities to experience Charleston’s architectural grandeur with tours of the city’s historic downtown house museums. Two are owned by the Charleston Museum: the 250-year-old HeywardWashington House, a classic example of the double house design and the very first historic house museum to open in Charleston; and the Joseph Manigault House, whose narrow escape from demolition in 1920 led to the establishment of the city’s preservation movement. An antebellum mansion, the Edmonston-Alston House, was built following a simple Charleston single house design but was later embellished with an iron balcony and grand Greek Revival piazzas to take advantage of the harbor view. The Nathaniel Russell House, built in 1808, exemplifies the early 19th century Adams-style use of oval rooms, but the biggest draw for visitors is the famous three-story cantilevered staircase which has no visible base of support, relying instead on each step being supported by the previous one. On the flip side, the Aiken-Rhett House provides architectural insight with a twist — the house is an urban villa that has been conserved rather than restored, meaning that the structure remains frozen in time with much of it unaltered for nearly 200 years. A glimpse into the house museums as well as the privately-owned homes in both the spring and fall draws visitors and locals who yearn to see the interiors of what can only be imagined when viewing them from the street. But there are yet other opportunities to enjoy the spellbinding architecture of Charleston at venues that offer rental space for private gatherings. There is nothing like a step into history and luxury when celebrating a wedding, birthday, anniversary or corporate event. Lowndes Grove on the upper peninsula provides a beautiful setting on 14 acres overlooking the Ashley River. The colonial style plantation house, built in 1786, has been significantly altered over the centuries but retains its four-room double house floorplan along with a beautiful spiral cantilevered staircase. The William Aiken House was built in 1807 in a traditional Charleston single house design, but also boasts an octagonal wing, reflective of the Adams influence, added in the 1830s to include a grand upstairs ballroom, perfect for hosting large parties of up to 500 guests. The Governor Thomas Bennett House, built in 1825, is adorned with elliptical fanlights over the beautiful entry door and on the gable. Its tripartite window on the second floor further enhances the grand exterior, and the interior features a graceful, cantilevered staircase. The houses in Charleston attract plenty of visitors to our area year after year but have also directly influenced the design of modern homes in many suburban communities whose buyers fall in love with the city’s architecture. And it’s usually love at first sight — because, in this case, looks really do matter. Feature This I’On home exemplifies a double house with metal roof
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