Name/Title
54 Tradd Street (William Vanderhorst House)Entry/Object ID
TRADD.054.1Scope and Content
Constructed 1740; restored 1930s, 1996. This 3-story masonry structure covered with stucco is a fine example of early single house construction and is important in understanding the development of the single house. The house retains its original floor plan, the prototype for single house construction. The William Vanderhorst House is notable in that it retains its public entrance on the street facade. The dwelling at 54 Tradd Street is attributed to William "Vander Horst." The lot was inherited by Vanderhorst's wife, whose grandfather owned nearly two-thirds of this block of Tradd Street. Constructed circa 1740, the house is believed to be one of the earliest examples of single house construction in Charleston. A study of the plat in 1796, at which time William Robertson owned the property, reveals that the house was covered with a tile roof. A modest assemblage of outbuildings filled the rear yard back to Rope's Alley (now Ropemaker's Lane), but, oddly, the property was only accessible through a passage to Tradd Street instead of having a second access through the alley. The early introduction of piazzas to the city is evidenced on the house of Mr. John McIver next door at 56 Tradd. William Vanderhorst's house had a series of distinguished and notable tenants. Thomas W. Bacot, Charleston's fifth postmaster, rented the house, and tradition holds that the post office was located in the front room. (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); correspondence related to the sale of the property; annual inspection reports; requests for alteration; correspondence related to the management of the property; FOHG house histories (two 1960s?, 2001, 2007); house history from Vernacular Architecture of Charleston & the Lowcountry; house history (Samuel Gaillard Stoney, 1958); house history from Information for Guides of Historic Charleston (1984); newspaper article; captioned newspaper photograph (1937 Charleston Pictorial Exhibit); historical/chain-of-title research information, including photocopy of will of Abraham Sasportas, plat, map, and deeds; copies of HABS photos; graduate student research project: chain-of-title, documentation of the enslaved, documentation of outbuilding(s) (Short, 2020); measured floor plan; photocopies of HABS photographs.
Files may eventually contain additional documentation such as annual inspection reports; requests for alterations; correspondence related to the management of the property; correspondence and other documentation related to the sale of the property; historical research; etc.
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
TRADD.054.Source or Donor
54 Tradd Street (William Vanderhorst House)Acquisition Method
Collected by StaffLexicon
Search Terms
Tradd Street, Easement Property, 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 101Shelf
Prop File Shelves, Property File ShelvesRoom
Margaretta P. Childs ArchivesBuilding
Missroon HouseCategory
PermanentRelationships
Related Entries
Notes
2016.014.10, TRADD.054.2, TRADD.054.3, TRADD.054.4, TRADD.054.5
Related Units of Description: Easement Manager's working files
Notecard with color illustration of 54, 56, 58 Tradd in property fileRelated Publications
Notes
Buildings of Charleston (see Abstract), pg. 146-147General Notes
Note
Notes: Pictorial Exhibit photo from scrapbooks 2007.020.9 and .18.Created By
admin@catalogit.appCreate Date
May 23, 2012Updated By
admin@catalogit.appUpdate Date
February 17, 2023