Name/Title
319-325 King Street (American Hotel Building)Entry/Object ID
KING.319-325.1Scope and Content
Constructed before 1850; renovated ca. 1890-1900; restored 1975 after a fire. The owner of extensive real estate in Charleston and Philadelphia, Robert F. Henry held these properties prior to death in 1846. Henry's estate probably amalgamated several other buildings on the site to create one of Charleston's most elegant antebellum facades and one of its finest small 19th century hotels. Although the ground story has seen much alteration, several pilasters with stylized Corinthian capitals remain. The upper-story fenestration is divided by Tuscan pilasters, topped by decorative panels with American eagle and floral motifs, and fronted by engaged cast-iron panels. A roof balustrade caps the building. Descending from Henry to his four nieces and nephews, the hotel became the property of Miss Mary Jane Ross of 1 Meeting Street and one included in legal battles over the settlement of her estate. One of Charleston's most virulent political battles, the 1915 primary race for mayor between the incumbent Tristram P. Hyde and John P. Grace, resulted in a tense democratic committee meeting on the second story of the hotel. With a disturbance at the door, a volley of gunfire caused the shooting death of Sidney Cohen, a young Charleston reporter assigned to cover the meeting. (Poston: Buildings of Charleston.)
File contains Rosen and Associates (engineers) physical condition report (2002); architectural drawings (existing elevations and floor plans), 1884 Sanborn map, and tax map (photocopies) presumably submitted in support of BAR application (date not indicated, approval status not indicated); advertisement for the American Hotel, with illustration, from 1854 business directory; newspaper articles (including 1969 DYKYC. (Note: Building is named The Davidson Building in these plans.)
Image #2 from 1967 King Street Photographic Survey.Collection
Historic Charleston Foundation Property RecordsAcquisition
Accession
KING.319-325.Source or Donor
319-325 King Street (American Hotel Building)Acquisition Method
Collected by StaffLexicon
LOC Thesaurus for Graphic Materials
Commercial buildings, HotelsSearch 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 54Shelf
Prop File Shelves, Property File ShelvesRoom
Margaretta P. Childs ArchivesBuilding
Missroon HouseCategory
PermanentRelationships
Related Entries
Notes
KING.319-325.2
Related Units of Description: King Street Survey (KING.GEN.001) and King Street "General" files (KING.GEN.002)Related Publications
Notes
Buildings of Charleston (see Abstract), pg. 377-378Created By
admin@catalogit.appCreate Date
August 26, 2009Updated By
admin@catalogit.appUpdate Date
February 17, 2023