19 East Battery (Julius M. Visanska House)

Archive

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Historic Charleston Foundation

19 East Battery (now)

19 East Battery (now)

Name/Title

19 East Battery (Julius M. Visanska House)

Entry/Object ID

EBATTERY.019.1

Scope and Content

Constructed 1920. Albert Simons, architect. This two-story, yellow brick house on a high foundation was designed for a prominent haberdasher by Charleston's leading restoration architect, Albert Simons. The house replaced the notable Federal style Holmes Mansion, which had been the first of the great Battery houses completed after the removal of Fort Mechanic following the War of 1812. The Holmes Mansion was wrecked in the hurricane of 1911 and was taken down shortly thereafter. Its lot had already been subdivided in the late 19th century for the construction of 17 East Battery. Simons's design reflects a curious mix of features, including corner brick quoining, Renaissance style loggia entry, and tripartite windows in the Greek Revival manner. Local tradition holds that Visanska asked Simons to design a house that resembled a mansion he admired in Atlanta. Charlestonians raised eyebrows at the expensive interior details including parquet floors and the costly yellow brick on the exterior. The residence was taken over by the Navy in 1942, which used it for the duration of World War II. (An 1896 weatherboarded residence to the east at 17 East Battery was also dressed up in the early 20th century in the Colonial Revival style. This house has remained in the Mevers family since 1922.) (Poston, Buildings of Charleston.) File contains newspaper article (1942); captioned photo from "Lost Examples of Colonial Architecture" (Howells, 1963); photopopy of a portion of an 1815 plat showing the location of Fort Mechanic (McCrady206); entry from Old Codgers' Charleston Address Book listing 20th century residents.

Collection

Historic Charleston Foundation Property Records

Acquisition

Accession

EBATTERY.019.

Source or Donor

19 East Battery (Julius M. Visanska House)

Acquisition Method

Collected by Staff

Lexicon

Search Terms

East Battery, 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 32

Shelf

Prop File Shelves, Property File Shelves

Room

Margaretta P. Childs Archives

Building

Missroon House

Category

Permanent

Location

Container

2

Shelf

Prop File Shelves, Property File Shelves

Room

Margaretta P. Childs Archives

Building

Missroon House

Category

Permanent

Relationships

Related Person or Organization

Person or Organization

Simons, Albert

Related Entries

Notes

2004.020.033, EBATTERY.019.2, EBATTERY.019.3a-b, EBATTERY.019.4, EBATTERY.019.5

Related Publications

Notes

Buildings of Charleston (see Abstract), pg. 220-221

General Notes

Note

Notes: Photo 3 in this record shows 19 East Battery and 17 East Battery, ca. 1900; from Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog, www.loc.gov/pictures/item/det1994001836/PP/ Photo 4 from Lost Examples of Colonial Architecture by John Mead Howells, Plate 57.

Created By

admin@catalogit.app

Create Date

June 28, 2007

Updated By

admin@catalogit.app

Update Date

February 17, 2023