Name/Title
21 King Street (Patrick O'Donnell House)Entry/Object ID
KING.021.1Scope and Content
Constructed 1852-70; restored late 1980s. A contractor who moved to Charleston from his native Galway, Ireland, gained sufficient fortune by the 1850s to amalgamate several lots and begin construction of the city's largest Italianate style house. Recent evidence indicates that Patrick O'Donnell failed to complete the house until after 1865, thus giving some reality to the appellation of "O'Donnell's Folly" for the building. During the author Josephine Pinckney's ownership, 1970-1937, the Poetry Society and the Society for the Preservation of Spirituals were organized here. The monumental 3-story masonry building rises above a rusticated stucco ground floor. A Greek Revival architrave with arched doors leads to the stair hall, while a central pavilion rises to an open, modillioned gable with triple-tiered piazzas on the south. Arched window hoods, supported by console brackets and including shell motifs, decorate the second story. In its recent restoration, the owner returned a period paint scheme to the building. (Poston, Buildings of Charleston.)
File contains FOHG house histories (undated, 1996); house history from An Architectural Guide to Charleston; excerpt from 62 Famous Houses of Charleston; excerpt from The Doors and Gates of Charleston; report "The Patrick O'Donnell House, 21 King Street: A History" by Robert P. Stockton; newspaper articles (including 1978 DYKYC); property conveyance (1893), two titles to real estate (1908), abstract of title (1908), and an agreement allowing the eaves to overhang on the neighboring property; photocopy of 1995 photo (SCHS photo); copy of photo from "Resources & Attractions of Charleston" (ca. 1898); Board of Adjustment agenda (1987) annotated by HCF staff showing opposition to addition of two-car garage; real estate listing; Rosen and Associates inspection report (2003).Collection
Historic Charleston Foundation Property RecordsAcquisition
Accession
KING.021.Source or Donor
21 King Street (Patrick O'Donnell House)Acquisition Method
Collected by StaffLexicon
Search Terms
King Street, Historic 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 49Shelf
Prop File Shelves, Property File ShelvesRoom
Margaretta P. Childs ArchivesBuilding
Missroon HouseCategory
PermanentRelationships
Related Entries
Notes
KING.021.2, KING.021.3, KING.021.4, KING.021.5a-d
Related Units of Description: Preservation Consultants files (Part I and/or Part II applications and/or photos and/or miscellaneous documentation), 2011.022.1Related Publications
Notes
Buildings of Charleston (see Abstract), pg. 227-228General Notes
Note
Notes: Re: "titles to real estate, abstract of title, and other related documents (late 19th-early 20th c.). the originals were provided to HCF for scanning by Anne Blessing, descendant of Thomas Pinckney who purchased the house in 1908. TIFF and PDF files available on CD in file. PDFs of most of the other documents in the file are also on CD in file.Created By
admin@catalogit.appCreate Date
October 8, 2008Updated By
admin@catalogit.appUpdate Date
February 17, 2023