Name/Title
188 Meeting Street (Market Hall and Market Sheds)Entry/Object ID
MEETING.188.1Scope and Content
Constructed 1840-41. Edward Brickell White, architect; Andrew Cunningham and John White, contractors. Market Hall and the public market sheds that stretch for several blocks behind the hall are located in the heart of Charleston's 19th century commercial district. The land was conveyed to the city in 1788 by the Revolutionary War General Charles Cotesworth Pinckney and other citizens "to lay out a street from the channel of the Cooper River to Meeting Street 100 feet broad, and in said street to establish a public market or markets for the purpose of vending all sorts of butcher meats, poultry, game, fish, vegetables and provisions." From 1790 to 1806 markets were erected, and in 1837 the cornerstone was laid for a combination masons' hall and market on the site of the present Market Hall. The following year a fire destroyed several blocks of the city including the newly constructed Mason's Hall. The fire prompted the city to enact legislation that discouraged the erection of wooden buildings, and it also inspired the city to contemplate a more permanent market complex. The local architect Edward Brickell White was chosen as the architect for the project. Set on the narrow lot between North and South Market Streets, facing onto busy Meeting Street, Market Hall is located on one of the most conspicuous sites in Charleston. Its temple form is 2 stories in height with a double flight of brownstone steps ascending to a pedimented portico supported by 4 Roman Doric columns. The intended appearance is that of a stone structure, when, in fact, the building is constructed primarily of brick covered with a brownstone stucco. The ground level is heavily rusticated, and the upper story is scored in an ashlar pattern. The cornice, portico, and Doric capitals are red sandstone, while the triglyphs and moldings are cast cement. The bucrania and ram's heads, signifying the presence of a meat market, are made of cast-iron. According to local tradition, the upper meeting room served as a recruitment center as well as a ballroom for benefits of "the cause" during the Civil War. The Palmetto Guard, a distinguished military unit of volunteers, was honored with a farewell reception here before leaving for battle, and its members returned annually to toast their fallen comrades. The last two survivors met in 1917. Since 1899 the United Daughters of the Confederacy have held their functions in the meeting room. Their Confederate Museum has occupied the upper floor for most of the 20th century; however, the upper story was closed after Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Extensive interior and exterior restoration began in 1990s and was completed in 2002.
Folder 1 contains building history from Vernacular Architecture of Charleston & the Lowcountry; news articles (1888-2011); building history from Architectural Guide to Charleston (by Simons & Thomas); feature from "Landmarks at Risk" (1986); reduced-size copy of HABS drawings; letter from Kitty Robinson in support of nomination of Market Hall for National Preservation Award (2003); transcription of the deed "Release of Lands for the City Market or Markets" (Charles Cotewsosrth Pinckney, et al., to City Council of Charleston, March 29, 1788); Lease Agreement between Charleston City Council and Market Restoration Inc. (1973); two Market Area Studies (1993, 1994); Market Street area parking and zoning maps.
Folder 2 contains documentation of conditions and repair/restoration needs: National Historic Landmark Condition Assessment Report "Market Hall and Sheds" (1985-1986); Restorations Inc. conditions assessment (1992); City of Charleston "Contract Specifications and Contract Documents for Exterior Paint Removal at Market Hall" (1992); correspondence regarding redevelopment and restoration of Market Hall (1996, 1999, 2001); HCF staff notes "Market Study Recommendations" (undated, unattributed).
Image #2 from Guide to Charleston Illustrated, 1875.Collection
Historic Charleston Foundation Property RecordsAcquisition
Accession
MEETING.188.Source or Donor
188 Meeting Street (Market Hall and Market Sheds)Acquisition Method
Collected by StaffLexicon
LOC Thesaurus for Graphic Materials
Sheds, MarketsSearch Terms
Meeting Street, Market Street, National Register of Historic Places, Market Hall (Charleston, S.C.), Market Hall (Charleston, S.C.)--Conservation and restorationArchive Details
Archive Size/Extent
2 File FoldersArchive 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 73Shelf
Prop File Shelves, Property File ShelvesRoom
Margaretta P. Childs ArchivesBuilding
Missroon HouseCategory
PermanentRelationships
Related Entries
Notes
2004.020.007.8, 2004.020.016, 2004.020.017, 2005.011.013, 2006.007.14, 2006.010.335-347, 2007.003.6a, 2014.015.31, 2016.006.17, 2017.024.16, 2019.020.8, 2020.005.17, MEETING.188.10, MEETING.188.11, MEETING.188.12, MEETING.188.2, MEETING.188.3, MEETING.188.4, MEETING.188.5, MEETING.188.6, MEETING.188.7, MEETING.188.8a-g, MEETING.188.9
Related Units of Description: MARKET.GEN.1Related Publications
Notes
Buildings of Charleston (see Abstract), pg. 395-396General Notes
Note
Notes: Photo in this record is from "Images of the City Market," 2007.003.6.Created By
admin@catalogit.appCreate Date
July 19, 2010Updated By
admin@catalogit.appUpdate Date
February 16, 2023