Name/Title
17 Chalmers Street (Pink House)Entry/Object ID
CHALMERS.017.01Scope and Content
Constructed ca. 1712; restored 1930s. The Pink House, constructed of pinkish Bermuda stone, is the sole surviving alehouse from the bawdy colonial district that ran along Union or Chalmers Alley, as the eastern end of Chalmers Street was known until 1818. The gambrel roof, covered in pantiles, dating from the mid-18th century, appears to have been constructed while the chimney was being upgraded; the original roofline probably mirrored the gable roof of the small building to the west. A taverner owned the site in the 1750s and by the 1780s, it had passed to James Gordon. Wealthy Baltimoreans (Mr. and Mrs. Victor Morawetz) restored the building in the 1930s. Since the restoration, it has remained one of Charleston's landmarks. At various times it has served as the studio of painter Alice Ravenel Huger Smith, the site of Harry McInvaill's Pink House Press, Louis Lawson's Pink House Galleries, and the law office of Frank H. Bailey. (Source: Buildings of Charleston.)
File contains house histories from "Architectural Guide to Charleston," "Vernacular Architecture of Charleston and the Lowcountry," and "Information for Guides of Historic Charleston"; newspaper article (DYKYC, 1984); research notes; house history from HCF brochure; house history from "62 Famous Houses"; 1886 Earthquake damage assessment.Collection
Historic Charleston Foundation Property RecordsAcquisition
Accession
CHALMERS.017.Source or Donor
17 Chalmers Street (Pink House) / 17½ Chalmers StreetAcquisition Method
Collected by StaffLexicon
Search Terms
Chalmers Street, 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 18Shelf
Prop File Shelves, Property File ShelvesRoom
Margaretta P. Childs ArchivesBuilding
Missroon HouseCategory
PermanentRelationships
Related Entries
Notes
2004.020.007.12, 2011.015.86, 2020.005.20, 2021.013.1a-b, CHALMERS.017.02, CHALMERS.017.03, CHALMERS.017.04, CHALMERS.017.05, CHALMERS.017.06, CHALMERS.017.07a-cRelated Publications
Notes
Buildings of Charleston (see Abstract), pg. 65-66Created By
admin@catalogit.appCreate Date
August 8, 2006Updated By
admin@catalogit.appUpdate Date
February 17, 2023