Name/Title
256 Meeting Street (William Gayer Carriage Factory)Entry/Object ID
MEETING.256.1Scope and Content
Constructed ca. 1838; rehabilitated with reconstructed facade, 1985. The rehabilitation of this building is a testament to Charleston's preservationist perseverance, to the community spirit of local business leaders, and to the tax advantages of historic preservation in the 1980s. Built by a coach and carriage maker with loan funds following the disastrous Ansonborough fire of 1838, the structure had one of the most distinctive facades in the city, incorporating Classical and Greek Revival elements with hints of the later Italianate style. The site remained in the hands of successor carriage makers until 1898, later becoming a bottling plant and a wholesale shoe company. The Gayer Building's most ignominious period came after the property's sale to the Tire Company: Tthe elegant facade was removed and a driveway added to the front. After being abandoned by the 1950s and acquired by the neighboring church for parking, the Board of Architectural Review denied demolition requests on three occasions. In 1985 the front facade was reconstructed based on an early photograph and became the headquarters of the bank that occupies the site. (Poston: Buildings of Charleston.)
File contains newspaper articles about the demolition request (1982, 1984) and DYKYC (1976, with 1902 photograph); correspondence and other documentation of HCF's opposition to the demolition of the building.Collection
Historic Charleston Foundation Property RecordsAcquisition
Accession
MEETING.256.Source or Donor
256 Meeting Street (William Gayer Carriage Factory)Acquisition Method
Collected by StaffLexicon
Search Terms
Meeting Street, Ansonborough, Historic buildings--South Carolina--Charleston, Commercial 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 73Shelf
Prop File Shelves, Property File ShelvesRoom
Margaretta P. Childs ArchivesBuilding
Missroon HouseCategory
PermanentRelationships
Related Entries
Notes
MEETING.256.2, MEETING.256.3, MEETING.256.4Related Publications
Notes
Buildings of Charleston (see Abstract), pg. 455-456General Notes
Note
Notes: Image #2 provided by via email (10/30/2016) by Kevin Eberle who discovered it for sale on ebay.Created By
admin@catalogit.appCreate Date
July 21, 2010Updated By
admin@catalogit.appUpdate Date
February 17, 2023