Name/Title
49 Broad Street (Benjamin Smith House)Entry/Object ID
BROAD.049.001Scope and Content
Constructed ca. 1740; altered 19th century; partially restored 1960s. This dwelling, built by the wealthy trader and assembly speaker Benjamin Smith, is an interesting contrast to the houses of other merchants such as Thomas Rose at 59 Church Street, circa 1733, and George Eveleigh at 39 Church Street, circa 1743, who built buildings in the first half of the 18th century. The first-floor fenestration and interior partitions were dramatically altered in the 19th century to accommodate a grocery store, but an 18th century plat provides good evidence of the original first-floor room arrangement. Smith limited the commercial space in his house to a single large room on the first floor without smaller adjoining counting rooms. Smith's store, likely one of the largest private commercial spaces in pre-Revolutionary Charleston, was typical of the 18th century houses that combined dwelling and store. It provided family access to second-floor living quarters through a rear entry off the piazza, which allowed entry to the stair passage without passing through the store. (Poston, Buildings of Charleston.)
File contains entry from HCF newsletter (undated); building history from Information for Guides of Historic Charleston; photocopy of 1820 plat; newspaper article about remodeling of building by architect Bradford Gilbert (1902); photographic copy of plat showing the Benjamin Smith House and its outbuildings, late eighteenth century (2 copies); narrative house history; Rosen and Associates inspection reports (1990, 1999, 2000).Collection
Historic Charleston Foundation Property RecordsAcquisition
Accession
BROAD.049.Source or Donor
49 Broad Street (Benjamin Smith House)Acquisition Method
Collected by StaffLexicon
Search Terms
Broad Street, Civic Square, Historic buildings--South Carolina--CharlestonArchive Details
Archive Size/Extent
1 File FolderArchive Notes
Finding Aids: Index to Property Files.
Level of Description: FolderLocation
Location
Shelf
Property File ShelvesRoom
Margaretta P. Childs ArchivesBuilding
Missroon HouseCategory
PermanentDate
February 7, 2023Location
Container
PF Box 10Shelf
Prop File Shelves, Property File ShelvesRoom
Margaretta P. Childs ArchivesBuilding
Missroon HouseCategory
PermanentRelationships
Related Entries
Notes
BROAD.049.002, BROAD.049.003, BROAD.049.004Related Publications
Notes
Buildings of Charleston (see Abstract), pg. 63-64 (46 Broad Street).Created By
admin@catalogit.appCreate Date
October 31, 2005Updated By
admin@catalogit.appUpdate Date
February 17, 2023