Name/Title
Connelley's Funeral Home and Residence (309-313 Meeting Street)Entry/Object ID
MEETING.309-313.1Scope and Content
House constructed circa 1796; renovated 1890s. Funeral home constructed 1894; complex rehabilitated as residential condominiums 1984. The Charleston single house at 313 Meeting Street was built about 1796 by John Horlbeck on that portion of the original Ansonborough suburb formerly owned by Peter Porcher. Though the house is said to retain much of its original interior woodwork, its exterior was heavily altered with Eastlake/Victorian style alterations after its purchase by Jesse M. Connelley in 1892. Connelley, an Edgefield businessman and salesman, purchased an undertaking business from Frederick Ansel and retained the builder J. D. Murphy to design and construct a new Romanesque Revival style mortuary in 1894 at 309 Meeting Street. This structure's facade, including sandstone detailing and stained glass windows, is essentially original to construction. Connelley also established Charleston Greenhouses on the site, selling tropical fish from a small outdoor aquarium, which partially survives in front of the greenhouses. Connelley also completed a large brick coffin warehouse at the rear of the site, a structure now facing Burns Lane. Connelley became South Carolina's first licensed mortician, when such laws were enacted early in the 20th century, and operated the leading funeral home serving Charleston's elite families for several generations. In 1984 a group of Atlanta investors rehabilitated the house and mortuary as condominiums, retaining their exterior appearances and much of their interiors as well. The former coffin warehouse at Burns Lane/143 Calhoun Street now serves as a maintenance facility for the College of Charleston. (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; IRS form 8283; annual inspection reports, requests for alterations, and correspondence related to the management of the property; newspaper articles (including 1936 DYKYC); photocopies of photographs (sources and dates not indicated); photocopy of J.M. Connelley Greenhouses letterhead engraving, ca. 1800s; photocopy of bill from J.M. Connelley, Furnishing Undertaker and Practical Embalmer, with office and warerooms at 143 Calhoun Street (dated 5/1/1887); newspaper article and correspondence from Preservation Society and SCDAH regarding piazza enclosures and proposed renovation of 313 Meeting into condominiums.
See Easement Documentation Photo Files for easement donation photographs (Exh. B to Deed of Conservation Easement) and Covenant/Easement Inspection Photo Files for inspection photography.Collection
Historic Charleston Foundation Property RecordsAcquisition
Accession
MEETING.309-313Source or Donor
309-313 Meeting Street (Connelley's Funeral Home and Residence)Acquisition Method
Collected by StaffLexicon
Search Terms
Meeting Street, Easement Property, Ansonborough, Historic buildings--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 74Shelf
Prop File Shelves, Property File ShelvesRoom
Margaretta P. Childs ArchivesBuilding
Missroon HouseCategory
PermanentRelationships
Related Entries
Notes
2011.022.18, 2011.022.30a-c, 2012.003.03, MEETING.309-313.2a-b
Related Units of Description: Easement Manager's working files
MEETING.317.1 contains brief description of 313 Meeting Street
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. 461Created By
admin@catalogit.appCreate Date
August 23, 2010Updated By
admin@catalogit.appUpdate Date
February 17, 2023