14 George Street (Middleton-Pinckney House)

Archive

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Historic Charleston Foundation

14 George Street: Origsize: 8x10; Origformat: Print-Photographic; Resolution: 75 dpi
14 George Street

Origsize: 8x10; Origformat: Print-Photographic; Resolution: 75 dpi

Name/Title

14 George Street (Middleton-Pinckney House)

Entry/Object ID

GEORGE.014.1

Scope and Content

Constructed ca. 1796-99; partially renovated and rehabilitated 1880s, 1980s.This 3-storied stuccoed-brick house on a raised basement was begun about 1796 by Mrs. Frances Motte Middleton and completed by her and her second husband, Maj. Gen. Thomas Pinckney, whom she married in 1797. Edward Hooker, a Connecticut visitor, described the house in 1805: "Maj. Thomas Pinckney's house is of brick, three stories high with an elegant rotund, of the same height, in front, which served for a porch. It has an air of magnificence; but appears less advantageously from its having been left, for two or three years, in an unfinished state." General and Mrs. Pinckney sold the house to John Middleton, Mrs. Pinckney's eldest son, in 1822 for "natural love and affection" and $10,000. The polygonal front projection provides oval rooms on each floor and a more truncated rear projection contains a winding staircase. The exterior is severe save its marble belt courses, window lintels, columned entrance, and other trim. Its interior is largely original but simple with Neoclassical doors and wainscoting and some later Regency style mantelpieces and cornices. The building has had little alteration despite its occupancy for more than 100 years by the Charleston Commissioners of Public Works, who constructed a reservoir, water tower, and pumping station at the rear of the site, using the main house as offices. The reservoir later became a public swimming pool until closure in the 1960s. In the 1980s 14 George Street became the headquarters for the Spoleto Festival and it is also the main office for the Charleston Symphony Orchestra. The rear lot and additional parcels have been subdivided and developed as a new street in Ansonborough called Menotti Street. (Poston, Buildings of Charleston.) File contains research report by Robert Stockton (1986); building history from Vernacular Architecture of Charleston & the Lowcountry; newspaper articles (including 1981 DYKYC); partial deed research (HCF); SC Historical Society research notes (1972); text of the 14 George Street plaque; excerpt from "Resources & Attractions of Charleston" describing the Water Works Co. (ca. 1898); photocopy of miscellaneous floor plans and photographs; correspondence related to neighborhood concerns about proposed alterations (May 2001); architectural drawings "Renovations & Modifications for Spoleto Festival U.S.A." submitted in support of BAR application (2001); "Request for Proposals, 14 George Street Rear Development Parcel" (author not indicated but possibly City of Charleston, 1988); documentation of HCF's efforts to seek funding for the conversion of the house to Spoleto's offices and a community arts center (1985).

Collection

Historic Charleston Foundation Property Records

Acquisition

Accession

GEORGE.014.

Source or Donor

14 George Street (Middleton-Pinckney House)

Acquisition Method

Collected by Staff

Lexicon

Search Terms

Ansonborough, George Street, Architectural drawings, Floor plans, Elevations, Adaptive reuse, Historic buildings--South Carolina--Charleston, Historic buildings--Remodeling for other use, Water utilities--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 43

Shelf

Prop File Shelves, Property File Shelves

Room

Margaretta P. Childs Archives

Building

Missroon House

Category

Permanent

Relationships

Related Entries

Notes

2006.010.196-210, 2019.014.1, GEORGE.014.10, GEORGE.014.2, GEORGE.014.3, GEORGE.014.4, GEORGE.014.5, GEORGE.014.6, GEORGE.014.7a-e, GEORGE.014.8, GEORGE.014.9a-k Related Units of Description: Ansonborough document box, Preservation Topics shelves Preservation Consultants files (Part I and/or Part II applications and/or photos and/or miscellaneous documentation), 2011.022.1 Historic Finishes Study (George Fore)

Related Publications

Notes

Buildings of Charleston (see Abstract), pg. 438-439

General Notes

Note

Notes: Photos 2&3 from Early Architecture of Charleston.

Created By

admin@catalogit.app

Create Date

May 28, 2008

Updated By

admin@catalogit.app

Update Date

February 16, 2023