Name/Title
94 Church Street (Cooper-Bee House)Entry/Object ID
CHURCH.094.1Scope and Content
Constructed ca. 1760-65; various 20th-century restorations. The houses at 90-94 Church Street were called by the late architectural historian Samuel G. Stoney "three variations on the theme of the Charleston 'single house.'" Each reflect the development of the single house from the mid-18th century. The clients who contracted for the three 3-story brick houses -- Leger, Christie, and Cooper -- were all wealthy and socially prominent individuals whose architectural aspirations, according to one architectural historian, defined Charleston's early townhouses as "a union of cosmopolitan and vernacular building traditions." 94 (and 90) Church Street was constructed in the 1760s as a 3-story, hipped roof, center-passage plan dwelling with ground-floor front commercial rooms or offices. The site at 94 Church Street includes a narrow passage behind the house providing access to the neighbors' back buildings on the interior of the block. Each of the three edifices retain splendid original woodwork. During the early- to mid-19th century, the Cooper-Bee House received all new outbuildings and gained 2-story piazzas as well. All 3 houses underwent the removal of their commercial usage, and the houses were physically connected to their back buildings, showing a segregation between work space and domestic space and reflecting a topographically redefined central business district. The latter change in which individual buildings on the lot were connected with infill wings represented a 2-part shift in lot planning toward, first, the consolidation of household functions under a single roof and, second, a growing sense of room specialization. The house was returned to single family usage in the 20th century. 94 Church Street served briefly as the spring tours headquarters for Historic Charleston Foundation, and has been extensively restored by its owner in recent years with a contemporary renovation of its rear hyphen. (Buildings of Charleston by Jonathan Poston.)
Files contain documentation of the easement on the property including related correspondence and Confirmation of Understanding; Part I certification application (National Register); easement appraisal (1983) which includes historical background, architectural description, and plats and maps; annual inspection reports, requests for alterations, and correspondence related to the management of the property; house description from HCF Festival of Homes tour booklet (1955); house history from Architectural Guide to Charleston (Thomas & Simons); house history from Vernacular Architecture of Charleston and the Lowcountry; house history from Information for Guides of Historic Charleston (1984); house history from City of Charleston Tour Guide Training Manual (2011); brief building assessment (Edward Chappell, 1995); magazine and newspaper articles (including 1980 DYKYC); photocopies of photos; info from MESDA regarding stair carving; report entitled "Thomas Bee's House Stair Hall Finishes Analysis" by Black & Black, Preservation Consultants, and George T. Fore & Associates (includes photos and paint samples).
See Easement Documentation Photo Files for easement donation photographs (Exh. B to Deed of Conservation Easement) and Covenant/Easement Inspection Photo Files for inspection photography.Collection
Historic Charleston Foundation Property RecordsAcquisition
Accession
CHURCH.094.Source or Donor
94 Church Street (Cooper-Bee House)Acquisition Method
Collected by StaffLexicon
Search Terms
Church Street, Easement Property, Historic buildings--South Carolina--CharlestonArchive Details
Archive Size/Extent
1 Gift Folder
1 Management Folder
1 History/Miscellaneous 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 26Shelf
Prop File Shelves, Property File ShelvesRoom
Margaretta P. Childs ArchivesBuilding
Missroon HouseCategory
PermanentRelationships
Related Entries
Notes
CHURCH.094.2, CHURCH.094.3a-c, CHURCH.094.4a-b, CHURCH.094.5, CHURCH.094.6a-d, CHURCH.094.7a-c
Related Units of Description: See also Easement Manager's working files for more information.Related Publications
Notes
Buildings of Charleston (see Abstract), pg. 80-81
FOH Tour booklets on Lowcountry Digital LibraryCreated By
admin@catalogit.appCreate Date
January 16, 2007Updated By
admin@catalogit.appUpdate Date
February 17, 2023