Name/Title
141 East Bay Street (Farmers' and Exchange Bank)Entry/Object ID
EBAY.141.1Scope and Content
Constructed 1853-54; rehabilitated 1970, 1990. Francis D. Lee, architect; David Lopez and C.C. Trumbo, contractors. Designed in the Moorish Revival style by architect Francis D. Lee, who called it "Saracenic" in style, this building exemplifies eclecticism in the Victorian age. Muquarnas, commonly referred to as honeycomb vaulting, form the mass of the cornice, while horseshoe arches (compared to the Alcazar at Seville and the Mosque at Cordoba) and red sand stone work with striping balance the ornamented facade of this structure. Interior architectural elements in its original two-story counting room with its coffered ceiling also represent the eclecticism reflected on the exterior facade. The building's appealing features stood in contrast to the Roman Doric-columned bank next door, designed by Lee's former partner Edward Jones but demolished in the 1950s. The author William Gilmore Simms described Lee's building as a "toybox sitting under the eaves" of Jones' "Tower of Babel." (Poston, Buildings of Charleston.)
File contains building history from Information for Guides of Historic Charleston; building history from Architectural Guide to Charleston (by Simons & Thomas; tour notes (unattribued, 1974); National Register Nomination form; photocopies of photos; chapter on Francis D. Lee from Architects of Charleston; excerpt from Charleston Antebellum Architecture and Civic Destiny; 20th century occupancy from The Old Codgers' Charleston Address Book; Rosen and Associates inspection reports (2001, 2006).Collection
Historic Charleston Foundation Property RecordsAcquisition
Accession
EBAY.141.Source or Donor
141 East Bay Street (Farmers' and Exchange Bank)Acquisition Method
Collected by StaffLexicon
Search Terms
East Bay Street, Historic buildings--South Carolina--Charleston, Bank 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 36Shelf
Prop File Shelves, Property File ShelvesRoom
Margaretta P. Childs ArchivesBuilding
Missroon HouseCategory
PermanentRelationships
Related Entries
Notes
2006.007.06, EBAY.141.2, EBAY.141.3a-b, EBAY.141.4
Related Units of Description: Building is in view in photo EBAY.139.2a.Related Publications
Notes
Buildings of Charleston (see Abstract), pg. 141-142Created By
admin@catalogit.appCreate Date
November 15, 2007Updated By
admin@catalogit.appUpdate Date
February 17, 2023