Celebrating Charleston Architecture
Today we will be celebrating the local iconic and incredible architecture that is celebrated right here in the Lowcountry. This architecture is one of the many reasons why Charleston stands out among the rest, and has, for hundreds of years!
To an architect and anyone visiting, a city like Charleston holds so many beautiful gems. Everywhere you go, you will see something that distinguishes the Holy City as one of the most beautifully built historic cities in the country. The historic architecture is one of the many reasons why we love restoring the historic buildings right here in our great city. Each historic building has such an amazing story to tell, an amazing structure that needs to be saved and preserved, and it is not done being used as an important structure in Charleston. There is a reason why these buildings are still standing today, they were designed to do so. They have stood the test of time through war, hurricanes, natural disasters, and time itself. That alone is enough of a reason to keep them a part of the architectural story that we are writing every day.
The architecture of Charleston is also another reason why we love creating and designing for our clients right in our own backyard. We love all of our new builds, both commercial and residential, to reflect their natural surroundings. There is no doubt that there is stunning natural beauty everywhere you look in Charleston, and we want to reflect this in how we build. This way we can help protect the natural world around each new build and continue to enhance it. This also includes creating new builds that complement the architectural beauty that is already a part of the building plane here in Charleston. We want our designs to complement the original Charleston architecture, but also to continue moving forward with the future of new architecture. With all of this in mind, we wanted to talk specifically about Charleston architecture, its history, and what to know about it! One of the best ways to soak up the architecture in Charleston is to immerse yourself in it! Take a walk downtown, visit the oldest neighborhoods you can find, and explore places you haven't seen it. Doing all of this and enjoying today's blog might even inspire you to build and design your next home with touches of original Charleston architecture, or it might even inspire you to restore a historical building for yourself!
There are eight different types of architectural styles that are commonly found in Charleston; Art Deco, Victorian, Italianate, Gothic Revival, Classical Revival, Federal, Georgian, and Colonial.
One of the most quintessential forms of Charleston architecture lies within the Charleston Single Home. These homes, which appear to be built sideways or long ways, are known for their beautiful large porches (piazzas) with a front door that opens onto the front porch and not into the interior of the home. This is one of the main stand-out features of the Charleston Single Home.
The largest collection of amazing historical homes, many of which are in pristine condition, can be found north of Broad Street, in the French Quarter, and the Battery districts of Downtown Charleston.
A lot of southern architecture like French Colonial and Antebellum architecture can be found throughout the south. However, Charleston architecture is found only here in Peninsular Charleston.
While the Charleston Single Home is very popular among the historical architecture that the Holy City boasts, there is also a Charleston Double Home. These structures are not as common but they are very stunning. One of the main things that differentiate the double house from the single house is that the double house will face the street at its full length. It is also very common that this two-level design will have four rooms on each floor that are divided by a central hallway.
At the height of the popularity for Charleston Style homes, around 4,500 were built and stood right here in the Holy City. Today there are only around 2,700 left.
The architecture that we are discussing today dates back as far as the 16th century.
One of the most striking attributes of Charleston architecture that is still seen today is its unique color scheme. It is beautiful to look at and is impeccably bright. When you visit or live in Charleston, you will quickly begin to notice and get used to the large palette of pastels like yellows and pinks that are also paired with royal reds and blues. These colors weren't always part of the Charleston landscape. The use of these bright and powerful colors was in response to how tired and run down the city was after the Civil War. In the early 1930's, a woman named Dorothy Legge tried to revitalize the once glorious city by painting a section of homes along East Bay Street pink. The trick worked and it quickly caught on. Pastels and bright vibrant colors were here to stay and are still very popular today.
Did you know that Charleston was established as the very first historic district in the United States by the Board of Architectural Review? It's no wonder why it has become one of the most popular cities in the world and has become one of the most popular cities to move to today!
Charleston single homes, due to being built asymmetrically to their lots, frequently have large side yards next to them as part of their property. When you walk and explore around the historic district, take note of the incredible iron fences that stand in front of many of the historic houses. Once you enjoy looking at the fences, take a moment to appreciate some of the most stunning landscaped areas that live behind the fences.
Another perk of the homes being built with those glorious piazzas on either side of them was to help catch the sea breeze. Catching the sea breeze helped with cooling and ventilation of the homes at the time, which was very needed during summers in Charleston without electricity.
While a piazza might make you think about the open city squares in Italy that bear that name, when referenced here in Charleston, we are talking about those beautifully tiered porches and verandas that adorn almost every home in the historic district!
You will also see some very strange pieces of metal sticking out from the sides of many of the historic homes that line the streets of Charleston. These were installed out of safety and necessity and not for decoration. On August 31, 1886, there was a devastating earthquake that struck Charleston. These pieces of metal are connected to iron rods that run through the walls of a home and are stabilized on either side of the home by iron bolts, helping to prevent damage as bad as it was in August of 1886. Some of these bolt plates have been left as is, but some have been decorated over the years!
As we mentioned above, no matter where you might find yourself in the historic districts or its surrounding areas of Charleston, you are going to have your fill of architecture and history with every corner you turn. We hope you've enjoyed learning about some of our stunning architecture found here in Charleston, and we hope it becomes a source of inspiration for your next project or future build with Architecture Plus!