Rainbow Row is the name for a series of thirteen colorful historic houses in Charleston, South Carolina. The houses are located north of Tradd St. and south of Elliott St. on East Bay Street, that is, 79 to 107 East Bay Street. The name Rainbow Row was coined after the pastel colors they were painted as they were restored in the 1930s and 1940s. It is a popular tourist attraction and is one of the most photographed parts of Charleston.
The Capt. John Morrison House is a historic home at 125 Tradd St., Charleston, South Carolina. Capt. John Morrison (1766-1821) bought the property on May 1, 1800, but he did not first appear in a city directory until 1806. The sales price paid by Capt. Morrison does not definitely reflect the purchase of a pre-existing house; as a result, the house of often claimed to have been built in 1805. In the 1840s, piazzas were added to the house. The house is a traditional Charleston single house, a form typified by a central entry and stair hall with the central door on the "side" of the house and one room on each side. Because of the unusual width of the house, 125 Tradd St. is four-bays wide with an unusually deep entrance hall and rectangular rooms on each side.
The Patrick O'Donnell House is the largest example of Italianate architecture in Charleston, South Carolina. It was built for Patrick O'Donnell (1806-1882), perhaps in 1856 or 1857. Other research has suggested a construction date of 1865. Local lore has it that the three-and-a-half-story house was built for his would-be bride who later refused to marry him, giving rise to the house's popular name, "O'Donnell's Folly." Between 1907 and 1937, it was home to Josephine Pinckney; both the Charleston Poetry Society and the Society for the Preservation of Spirituals were formed at the house during her ownership.
The Rev. Robert Smith House is a pre-Revolutionary house at 6 Glebe St., Charleston, South Carolina which is used as the official residence for the president of the College of Charleston. The present use is an odd twist of history; Rev. Robert Smith, whose name has been given to the house, was the first Episcopal bishop of South Carolina and was also himself the first president of the College of Charleston.
The James Ferguson House at 442 King St., Charleston, South Carolina, is an antebellum house dating to at least 1840. As of 2000 it was being used as a restaurant.
The Hannah Enston Building is a post-bellum commercial building at 171-173 King St., Charleston, South Carolina. A former building, constructed for furniture dealer William Enston, was burned in a fire in 1861. The replacement building was in place by 1872 when it was included in a bird's eye view map of Charleston. The building was built in the Gothic Revival style with similar decorative elements to 187-189-191 King St., a building built for William Enston sometime after 1848. After the death of William Enston, his property eventually was received by the trustees of a charity which he created to build the William Enston Home, and the trustees sold 171-173 King St. in 1888. From 1888 to 1909, the two halves of the building were separately owned. The southern portion of the building at 171 King St. was operated as a grocery by George Mazo; his son, writer Earl Mazo, and the rest of the family lived on the second floor.
The Robert Gibbes House in Charleston, South Carolina, was built in the Adamesque style at least by the time Robert Gibbes, Jr. was occupying it in 1819, perhaps earlier.
The John Cordes Prioleau House is a historic residence in Charleston, South Carolina.
The John Lining House is one of the oldest houses in Charleston. Although the lot upon which the house stands was first conveyed to French Huguenot immigrant Jaques DeBordeaux in 1694, it is uncertain when the house was built; the first mention of a house appears in a 1715 deed by which the property, including a dwelling, was conveyed to William Harvey, Jr. In 1757, the house was received by Mrs. Sarah Lining, the wife of Dr. John Lining. Although the couple owned the house for less than one year before transferring it to John Rattray, Dr. Lining's name stuck as the name of the dwelling. In 1780, the building was acquired by Dr. Andrew Turnbull, the founder of New Smyrna, Florida, who opened in the house the first of a long series of apothecary shops which remained until 1960.
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The George Eveleigh House is a pre-Revolutionary house in Charleston, South Carolina. The house was built about 1743 for trader George Eveleigh. Eventually, Eveleigh returned to England and sold his house to John Bull in 1759. John Bull or one of his heirs subsequently built the house at 34 Meeting Street on the rear of the property; the parcel had originally run from Church Street through the block to Meeting Street on the west. The house retains much of its original cypress woodwork although many of the fireplace mantels were replaced in the Adam period.
The Robert Pringle House is a historic house in Charleston, South Carolina.
The Isaac Holmes Tenement is a pre-Revolutionary house in Charleston, South Carolina. In 1721, Isaac Holmes acquired the parcel upon which 107 Church Street was built. It appears that he built a house on the land, but whatever structure he had built was lost in a fire in 1740 that wiped out many buildings in the area.
The Daniel Elliott Huger House was the last home of a Royal governor in South Carolina.
The Humphrey Sommers House is a pre-Revolutionary house in Charleston, South Carolina. Humphrey Sommers, who worked as the main contractor for St. Michael's Episcopal Church, is said to have built the house while working on the church; if so, the house can be dated to 1753 to 1762. The house began as a traditional Charleston single house, and it was entered through the ground floor. The L-shape of the house, formed by an addition at the northwest corner of the house, was in place by 1788 when the house can be seen on a map of the city. Still later, broad piazzas were added to the west side of the house, and the main entrance was relocated to the second floor of the house atop a curving staircase to the second level of the piazzas. The piazzas were not present when the house was sold in 1830 to the widow of United States Representative William Lowndes.
The George Mathews House is an 18th-century house at 37 Church Street, Charleston, South Carolina. George Mathews had purchased the lot in 1743; by 1768 when the executors of his estate sold the property, the sales price strongly suggest that Mathews had the house built during his ownership. The floor plan of the house is an asymmetrical variation of a Charleston double house that is similar to the nearby George Eveleigh House. The entrance to the house was moved from its Church Street facade to the southern facade when the piazzas were added. A separate kitchen house exists in the rear.
The Dr. Henry Frost Office at 98 Broad Street is composed of a front portion that appears to date from the mid-19th century and a rear portion that appears to be much older. The land upon which 98 Broad Street was built was owned by famous loyalist and horticulturalist Alexander Garden when he was forced to abandon the property when Charleston fell to the colonial forces in 1782.
The John Schnierle House is an antebellum house in Charleston, South Carolina that was the home of Mayor John Schnierle.
The Charles Elliott House is a pre-Revolutionary house in Charleston, South Carolina. Charles Elliott paid 2,500 pounds "current currency" for the property in 1764. Charles Elliott and his wife, Anne, were patriots during the Colonial period who maintained their family seat at Sandy Hill.
The Wragg Borough Homes is a public housing project in Charleston, South Carolina. It is bounded by Drake Street, Chapel Street, America and Elizabeth Streets, and South Street.
