Name/Title
45 East Bay Street (Somersall-Desaussure House)Entry/Object ID
EBAY.045.1Scope and Content
Constructed ca. 1790-1800; renovated 1850-60; altered as condominiums 1985. George Sommers sold this lot to merchant James Hartley, who ordered his executors in his 1759 will to complete a house then under construction on this site. The present house was apparently constructed by Hartley's son-in-law, merchant William Somersall. Due to a mid-19th-century renovation by Wilmot G. deSaussure, later a Confederate general, the large scale, 3-story single house employs 19th century Greek Revival and Italianate detailing including a wide overhanging eave, heavy window hoods, and a bracketed piazza door hood, along with a triple-tiered piazza with fluted Doric columns. Although the exterior remains largely intact, substantial interior fabric was removed with the conversion of the house to condominiums in the mid-1980s. (Poston, Buildings of Charleston.)
Three files contain documentation of the easement on the property including related correspondence and Confirmation of Understanding; IRS form 8283; annual inspection reports, requests for alterations, and correspondence related to the management of the property; stucco samples; house history from Information for Guides of Historic Charleston; photocopies of late 19th century photographs; miscellaneous real estate sales reports; report by Robert P. Stockton (1984) "Historical Research on 45 East Bay Street."
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
EBAY.045.Source or Donor
45 East Bay Street (Somersall-Desaussure House)Acquisition Method
Collected by StaffLexicon
Search Terms
Easement Property, East Bay Street, 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 33Shelf
Prop File Shelves, Property File ShelvesRoom
Margaretta P. Childs ArchivesBuilding
Missroon HouseCategory
PermanentRelationships
Related Entries
Notes
2021.013.5, EBAY.045.2, EBAY.045.3
Related Units of Description: See also Easement Manager's working files for more information.Related Publications
Notes
Buildings of Charleston (see Abstract), pg. 93Created By
admin@catalogit.appCreate Date
July 6, 2007Updated By
admin@catalogit.appUpdate Date
February 16, 2023