“The heart of Charleston’s historic Rainbow Row.”
City Directories and History: 1852 – George Abbott (Paint, oil and lamp dealer @ 97 East Bay)
OTHNIEL BEALE HOUSES
Constructed circa 1740; restored 1932, 1936
“Although these houses were rebuilt after the fire of 1740, they seem to have survived the fire of 1778 unscathed. Col. Othniel Beale came to Charleston from Marblehead, Massachusetts, and became a wealthy wharf owner and eventually, after successfully rebuilding the city’s harbor fortifications, a member of the Governor’s Council. These dwellings, built on the site of a house inherited by Beale’s wife Katherine “Hannah” Gale and on a lot Othniel Beale purchased across from his wharf, were originally envisioned for a single family dwelling attached to a tenement. The larger building at 99- 101 East Bay Street was built by Beale for his family residence and contains an open central passage on the ground floor dividing two ground-story shop spaces and leading to the outbuildings at the rear. Beale 99-101 Last Bay died in 1772 and left to his wife the houses and buildings built on the land inherited from her parents and one half of the prof- its from the rental of the “house and Store adjoining to the South” at 97 East Bay Street. Both buildings share a common steep gable roof covered with early pantiles, an egg and dart molded cornice, and a continuous stuccoed brick facade.
In the first rejuvenation of Rainbow Row, 99-101 was restored by Judge and Mrs. Lionel Legge in 1932 with early-eighteenth-century style nine-over-nine windows and cargo doors replacing the storefronts. The interior retains its early woodwork including cypress paneling in the front two-story rooms and mantels with central keystones. The second-floor wrought-iron balcony came from the now-demolished C. F. Prigge House at 7 Elizabeth Street—hence the initials “CP” visible on the piece. The rear of the Beale House faces a courtyard once leading to warehouses but still bordered by an early kitchen dependency and numerous old walls. Loutrel Briggs assisted the Legges in the use of this courtyard and in designing a period garden.
The house at 97 East Bay Street, sold by Susan Pringle Frost to Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Dunham in 1936, retains its basic upper fenestration, but a nineteenth-century storefront was removed, the arch on the north of the front face was filled in with a Neoclassical Revival fanlighted doorway, and a balcony from another site was placed on the second-story front. The curvilinear gable-roofed house at 95 East Bay Street seems also to have survived the 1778 fire. It shares the egg and dart mold and pilaster treatment with its northern neighbors. Charles Cotesworth Pinckney owned 95 East Bay in the late-eighteenth century.”
Information from: The Buildings of Charleston – J.H. Poston for the Historic Charleston Foundation, 1997
Other sources: Charleston Tax Payers of Charleston, SC in 1860-61, Dwelling Houses of Charleston by Alice R.H. Smith – 1917, Charleston 1861 Census Schedule, and a 1872 Bird’s Eye View of Charleston, S.C. The Hist. Charleston Foundation may also have additional data at: Past Perfect
Preservation Art at Work: Courtesy of Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art: Rick Rhodes – photographer, Ronald Ramsey artist – preservationist, 2017. (For the last several decades, native Charlestonian Ronald Wayne Ramsey has focused on meticulously documenting historical buildings—particularly those slated for demolition—in his hometown. As old buildings in the historically-minded city become condemned and readied for demolition, he secrets himself inside and liberates various seemingly mundane objects from their impending destruction. Such objects, like hinges, shutter dogs, decorative ironwork, doorknobs, and other ubiquitous building artifacts gain new relevance once they become part of his salvaged collection, which traces architectural styles from Charleston’s rich architectural legacy. Along with these objects, Ramsey creates fastidiously detailed drawings of old building facades in the city. Text from the Ahead of the Wrecking Ball Exhibit – 2017)
Click on the More Information links, found under the primary image to discover additional information about the artist.
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Tracey Huff says
My 2nd great grandfather, John Henrics, owned 97 East Bay Street in the late 1800’s, early 1900’s. He was a German immigrant and operated either a saloon or store downstairs and the family lived upstairs. Does anyone know if there are any pictures available from that time period?