Name/Title
21 Legare Street (William Gatewood House)Entry/Object ID
LEGARE.021.1Scope and Content
Constructed ca. 1843. Virginia-born William Gatewood, an important factor or export agent of sea-island cotton and rice, built this imposing structure. Ornamented by both brownstone details on the ground story and marble belt coursing and window architraves on the second, this brick facade with red-dyed mortar utilizes elements of Classical Revival and Greek Revival design. Piazzas, masked from the street by a fenestrated brick wall, present an imposing facade to the public way, thereby insuring privacy to the inhabitants as well as balancing the recessed stair tower on the other side. Large Tuscan columns support the piazzas, with paneled plinth bases on the second story matching the marble plinths under the window architraves. The drive to the north, formerly known as Sass's Alley, provided access to the brick kitchen and a circular drive, as well as to the substantial house at 23 Legare Street, owned in the 1840s by the well-to-do German craftsman Jacob Sass. (Poston, Buildings of Charleston.)
Three files contain documentation of the easement on the property including related correspondence and Confirmation of Understanding; Part I certification (National Register); easement appraisal report and IRS form 8283; floor plans (2007, reduced-size); FOHG house histories (undated); architectural description and statement of significance from Part I application; historical source notes; inventory of Gatewood's personal estate; tax map and 1888 Sanborn map; newspaper articles (including DYKYC); drawing of ceiling medallion (photocopy); photocopy of pre-1944 photo with notations related to features; Rosen and Associates inspection report (2003); house history from 60 Famous Houses. File also contains HCF research on the outbuildings and the enslaved persons in preparation for HCF's "Beyond the Big House Tour" (2017) and tour notes; research and supporting information on Nat Fuller, a slave of Mr. Gatewood believed to have lived in the kitchen building for some time.
Files may eventually contain annual inspection reports, requests for alterations, and correspondence related to the management of the property. (See Easement Manager's working files.)
See Easement Documentation Photo Files for easement donation photographs (Exh. B to Deed of Conservation Easement). No inspection photographs on file (see Easement Manager).Collection
Historic Charleston Foundation Property RecordsAcquisition
Accession
LEGARE.021.Source or Donor
21 Legare Street (William Gatewood House)Acquisition Method
Collected by StaffLexicon
Search Terms
Legare Street, Easement Property, Loutrel Briggs garden, Historic buildings--South Carolina--Charleston, Outbuildings--South Carolina--Charleston, Fuller, Nat, 1812-1866, African American cooks--South Carolina--CharlestonArchive Details
Archive Size/Extent
1 Gift Folder
1 Management Folder
1 History/Miscellaneous 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 61Shelf
Prop File Shelves, Property File ShelvesRoom
Margaretta P. Childs ArchivesBuilding
Missroon HouseCategory
PermanentRelationships
Related Entries
Notes
2007.008.29, 2007.008.30, LEGARE.021.2a-c, LEGARE.021.3a-c, LEGARE.021.4a-b
Related Units of Description: See also Easement Manager's working files for more information.Related Publications
Notes
Buildings of Charleston (see Abstract), pg. 246-247Created By
admin@catalogit.appCreate Date
November 18, 2009Updated By
admin@catalogit.appUpdate Date
February 17, 2023