South Carolina Real Estate

As any of the thirteen original colonies, South Carolina has a rich historical past. It is one of the few states that has seen and experienced it all. From the signing of the Declaration of Independence to seceding from the Union. Through good times and bad, South Carolina is one of the only states that can say they’ve been there. So naturally, with all those years of experience, South Carolina has history embedded into its very being. The clearest symbol of this southern state’s magnificent history is in its real estate. Homes, commercial buildings, plantations, and even churches built eons ago display the transitions through time that the “Palmetto State” has survived. These historical buildings honor various architectural movements from within the last two hundred years.

            The Romanesque Revival real estate movement started in the year 1880. Built in 1892, the Circular Congregational Church in Charleston is a fine example of that architectural style. This building was actually the third church to be constructed on this piece of real estate. It was designed by Henry Hobart Richardson, and it is he who decided on the then-modern Romanesque Revival style. He stayed true to the style by making it symmetrical, rounding the tops of windows, and choosing stone as the exterior material. Richardson also designed this piece of real estate around the shape of a circle. The Romans, who inspired the Romanesque Revival style, cherished the circle in all architecture. For this piece of real estate, Richardson combined the circular characteristic with the Greek cross, resulting in a clover-like shape. With this, the real estate maintains the fluidity of the circle while incorporating the most important Christian symbol into the church‘s design.

             Another famous piece of real estate, just outside of Charleston, is the Boone Hall Plantation. While the real estate and plantation were originally run by the Boone family, the home that stands there today has no relation to them. The property was sold off to a Canadian man named Thomas Stone. It was Mr. Stone who decided on the style of his new home, and he chose the magnificent Colonial Revival style. It is unknown precisely when this house was built. but it was in the latter half of the seventeenth century. The home displays the Colonial Revival style with strong, exceptionally large columns supporting the front porch. This accents the front door and gives the building a certain grandeur, both of which are attributes of Colonial Revival homes. The style is also apparent in the windows. The windows are not in one or two panes; instead each window has twelve individual panes of glass. The panes are smaller are because in the seventeenth century, it was difficult to make anything bigger.

            Charleston is clearly a historical architecture haven as another famous home dwells here. The Nathaniel Russell House sits in downtown Charleston and was constructed in 1809. The brick that decorates the front of the home is the first indicator as to what kind of real estate style this house follows. It is the Federal style. This style was the first started in the late eighteenth century, and the Nathaniel Russell House is an excellent example of the Federal style. Many of the Federal home style characteristics are found in the windows. As this house shows, there is a semi-circle of glass above the front door. This is a classic Federal home detail. Additionally, this piece of real estate is perfectly symmetrical, with all the windows aligned by vertical and horizontal lines.

            A final Charleston, South Carolina piece of historical real estate is the St. Michael’s Episcopal Church. This church features the Georgian style of architecture. This is an older style that started in 1720. As many of the previous historical homes and churches, an emphasis has been put on symmetry, and this real estate is no different. The Georgian style is perhaps the strictest of styles in terms of symmetry. The cornices feature elaborate work and attention to detail. Even though this Charleston real estate features multiple stories to include a towering steeple, the cornices on every level are given beautiful, intricate designs. Another feature of Georgian real estate is the way the windows sit on the building. In all Georgian homes and churches, the windows are never paired and placed next to each other. Instead, windows stand alone on different areas of the home. 

            There is real estate in other areas of South Carolina than Charleston. Greenville, for example has the exquisite Kilgore-Lewis House. This home, built in 1838, utilizes the Palladian real estate style. This real estate was influenced by the architecture Palladio from 1580. Homes of this style use straight lines and flat exteriors with the exception of the home’s front entrance. Palladio used Roman designs to make houses look formal and elegant. Similarities to Greek and Roman temples are often directly noticeable within homes featuring the Palladian style. The Kilgore- Lewis House has a very traditional front porch that looks as if it could have existed back in the Roman days. The over-sized columns dominate the façade and greets visitors with a feelings of splendor.

            South Carolina real estate enjoys the architectural genius that has swept through the southern homes in the last two hundred years. Certain themes can be noticed throughout the styles, such as the fact that many of the home styles insist of symmetry, or the Roman influence that appears in all the homes of the Palladian and Romanesque designs. Across the board, South Carolina real estate features grandness in the designs of their homes. Everything from the windows to the cornices can be used to signify the beauty that architecture can bring to real estate. The homes, plantations, churches, and even commercial buildings all bring that fact to a reality. These homes and buildings are hundreds of years old and are still be appreciated for the magnificence they hold. Only time can tell if today’s homes and styles will one day be named historical and allowed to join the architectural history lesson that exists within the real estate of South Carolina.