Name/Title
164 Wentworth Street (DeTreville-Lafitte House)Entry/Object ID
WENTWORTH.164.1Scope and Content
Constructed ca. 1853. Likely buried within the north portion of this 3½-story stuccoed brick structure with hip roof and 2-story Doric-order piazzas is the remains of an early-19th century structure. When Richard DeTreville purchased the site in 1853, the deed indicated that the property contained a "mansion." It is not likely that DeTreville demolished the structure. Instead, it is probable that his large early-Victorian house incorporated the earlier building. Ten years after purchasing the property, DeTreville sold the dwelling to John B.L. Lafitte, a commission merchant from New York City. Not long afterward, Lafitte purchased a mortgage by a firm that included George Alfred Trenholm, Christopher Memminger's successor as secretary of the treasury for the Confederacy. During the Civil War, Trenholm outfitted a flotilla of 12 boats to defend Charleston. More than 60 of his ships ran the blockade to England, exchanging cotton for war materials. Because of Lafitte's mortgage with Trenholm's firm, 164 Wentworth became part of the suit filed by the U.S. government following the war to seek payment for large wartime profits. The result was a referee's sale in 1873 at which Savage Deas Trenholm purchased the house for $27,000. The building was converted into eleven condominiums in 1984. (Poston, Buildings of Charleston.)
File contains newspaper articles (including 1970 & 1971 DYKYC); house history from City of Charleston Tour Guide Training Manual (2011); Part I certification application (see also Laurens Collection).Collection
Historic Charleston Foundation Property RecordsAcquisition
Accession
WENTWORTH.164.Source or Donor
164 Wentworth Street (Detreville-Lafitte House)Acquisition Method
Collected by StaffLexicon
Search Terms
Wentworth Street, Harleston Village, Historic 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 112Shelf
Prop File Shelves, Property File ShelvesRoom
Margaretta P. Childs ArchivesBuilding
Missroon HouseCategory
PermanentLocation
Container
2Shelf
Prop File Shelves, Property File ShelvesRoom
Margaretta P. Childs ArchivesBuilding
Missroon HouseCategory
PermanentRelationships
Related Entries
Notes
2009.019.4, 2009.019.9, WENTWORTH.164.2a-e
Related Units of Description: 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. 581-582Created By
admin@catalogit.appCreate Date
February 13, 2014Updated By
admin@catalogit.appUpdate Date
February 16, 2023