Name/Title
24 George Street (College of Charleston Gymnasium f/k/a Radcliffe-King Mansion)Entry/Object ID
GEORGE.024.1Scope and Content
Constructed 1938-39; Albert Simons, architect. This Georgian Revival style facility was constructed after the demolition of the Radcliffe-King Mansion, one of Charleston's most important Federal houses. The 3-story house had been built in 1806 by a wealthy merchant whose land was developed after his death as the suburb of Radcliffeborough. His widow, Lucretia, gave important balls and social gatherings in the house, as did the later owner Judge Mitchell King. In 1880 the dwelling became the High School of Charleston and remained in this use until 1924. The school caretaker's cottage with a mansard roof remains at the corner of Meeting Street and Burns Lane. On October 27, 1938, the college pulled the house down to make way for the new gymnasium, designed by Albert Simons. Nonetheless, the woodwork was saved and much of it reused in the renovated Dock Street Theater. The brick coping, iron fence and gates remained intact until 1982, when all but a small section along Meeting Street were removed. The contemporary addition to the gymnasium on the west sits on the site of the Thomas Walker House, a 3-story masonry dwelling with front piazzas and a balustraded parapet that was demolished in 1911 for a YMCA. This site was also formerly occupied by the William Gilliland House, destroyed by the college in an attempt to move the house off the site in 1978. (Poston, Buildings of Charleston.)
File contains narrative history (unattributed, undated); photocopy of an 1823 plat "Plan of a lot of land in Charleston at the northeast corner of George...); newspaper article about the demolition of the wall; captioned newspaper photo of the steel frame of the physical education center building being erected next to the gymnasium; captioned newspaper photo of the William Gilliland House before its move was attempted.Collection
Historic Charleston Foundation Property RecordsAcquisition
Accession
GEORGE.024.Source or Donor
24 George Street (College of Charleston Gymnasium)Acquisition Method
Collected by StaffLexicon
LOC Thesaurus for Graphic Materials
GymnasiumsSearch Terms
George Street, Ansonborough, Demolished buildings, lost buildings, Historic buildings--South Carolina--Charleston, College of Charleston, Lost architectureArchive 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 43Shelf
Prop File Shelves, Property File ShelvesRoom
Margaretta P. Childs ArchivesBuilding
Missroon HouseCategory
PermanentRelationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Simons, AlbertRelated Entries
Notes
2002.004.001, 2002.006.001, 2006.007.46, 2006.010.368-369, 2009.003.004, 2012.002.068, 2012.009.32, 2012.009.33, 2017.005.10, GEORGE.024.2a-b
See Photo Catalog 2006.016.7.5 for photographs of Argyle. Judge Mitchell King built it starting in 1828 (or so) and finished ca. 1837.
Related Units of Description: In addition to the door surrounds in the Architectural Elements Study Collection, paneling/wainscoting (object ID#s 2012.090.01-30) were also removed from the house (in sale collection).
Photographic slide showing "old school building" during demolition (captioned newspaper photograph).Related Publications
Notes
Buildings of Charleston (see Abstract), pg. 439-440.
See also Photograph 2009.003.004 (Radcliffe-King House).
Thesis: The Inventory of Lucretia Constance Radcliffe: The Material World of Elites in Federal Period Charleston, South Carolina (Obj. ID #2012.002.068)
Caglar Aydin's graduate thesis (2013.002.005)General Notes
Note
Notes: Per Katherine Saunders (5/6/09): Architectural elements from the Radcliffe-King House were acquired by HCF and are in its warehouse. Additionally, some of the federal interior pieces from the Radcliffe-King Mansion were used in the rehabilitation of the Dock Street Theater by Albert Simmons. And, "the Radcliffe-King Mansion was quite a property. It was owned by Thomas and Lucretia Radcliffe (Thomas laid out Radcliffeborough and it was developed after his death by his wife). Their house at Meeting and George was at the same level of expense (or perhaps higher) as the Russell House. They were quite the wealthy power couple. Carol Borchert who used to work for us wrote her Master's Thesis on Lucretia Radcliffe and went into depth about her room by room inventory of this house."
Radcliffe-King Manson/Judge Mitchell King House also known as 307 Meeting Street.
Image #3 in this record from 1943 City Yearbook.Created By
admin@catalogit.appCreate Date
May 29, 2008Updated By
admin@catalogit.appUpdate Date
February 17, 2023