76 Bull Street (Matthewes-Legare House)

Archive

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Historic Charleston Foundation

76 Bull Street

76 Bull Street

Name/Title

76 Bull Street (Matthewes-Legare House)

Entry/Object ID

BULL.076.001

Scope and Content

Constructed ca. 1813. This 2½-story plantation-style dwelling wrapped by double-tiered piazzas was built by vendue master and planter George Matthewes. Matthewes previously built 110 Rutledge Avenue and lived on Wentworth Street until he moved to his new house at this address in 1813. After his death in 1815, the house was sold by his daughter to Mrs. Mary Swinton Legare. Her famous son, Hugh Swinton Legare, who was crippled, used this as his residence until his death in 1843. Educated in Paris and Edinborough, Legare began the "Southern Review" while serving concurrently as a state legislator. He later served as ambassador to Brussels, congressman, U.S. attorney general, and U.S. secretary of state. At the time of his death he was considered as a Whig presidential candidate for the election of 1884. The house passed in 1855 to Alexander Calder, ancestor of the artist with the same name, and it served as the Calder family residence until 1919. Much of the interior retains its Adamesque decoration, with the exception of a Regency-style gray marble mantel in the front drawing room. Tradition holds that Legare kept quarters on the ground floor, where Charleston's literary figures of the antebellum period gathered. File contains HCF staff research notes (scant).

Collection

Historic Charleston Foundation Property Records

Acquisition

Accession

BULL.076.

Source or Donor

76 Bull Street (Matthewes-Legare House House)

Acquisition Method

Collected by Staff

Lexicon

Search Terms

Bull Street, Harleston Village, Historic buildings--South Carolina--Charleston

Legacy Lexicon

Object Name

Property File

Archive Details

Archive Size/Extent

1 File Folder

Archive Notes

Finding Aids: Index to Property Files. Level of Description: Folder

Location

Location

Shelf

Property File Shelves

Room

Margaretta P. Childs Archives

Building

Missroon House

Category

Permanent

Date

February 7, 2023

Location

Container

PF Box 16

Shelf

Prop File Shelves, Property File Shelves

Room

Margaretta P. Childs Archives

Building

Missroon House

Category

Permanent

Relationships

Related Entries

Notes

BULL.076.002

Related Publications

Notes

Buildings of Charleston (see Abstract), pg. 501-502

Created By

admin@catalogit.app

Create Date

February 14, 2006

Updated By

admin@catalogit.app

Update Date

February 17, 2023