Name/Title
53 South BatteryEntry/Object ID
SBATTERY.053.1Scope and Content
Constructed ca. 1840. The western end of the house is believed to have been built around 1816 and to have originally been a general store that specialized in fishing supplies. The three-story, 14 room, brick-covered stucco house is thought to have been built in 1840 by William Algernon Alston of Rose Hill plantation in Georgetown, although the construction date has been disputed. By 1870, it was jointly owned by Mrs. Anna L. Smith and Charlotte M. Alston, who sold it to Henry W. Frost in 1883. Frost was an exporter of cotton and was the head of the merchant firm Gourdin, Matthiesson and Co. Frost is believed to have made many changes to the house; he moved the entrance and added Italianate architectural elements. The house was then sold to retired industrialist Joseph Daniel Aiken spent winters at 53 South Battery until selling it in 1944 to Mitchell Robinson. Robinson owned Mitch's loan office and Robinson's bicycle shop. In 1945 Robinson converted the house into five apartments. The house was vacant for many years before being bought by Restoration Inc. in 1969 and demolished to build town houses.
File contains newspaper articles (including 1969 DYKYC); copy of 1902 Sanborn Map; detail of 1872 Birds-Eye View of Charleston.Collection
Historic Charleston Foundation Property RecordsAcquisition
Accession
SBATTERY.053.Source or Donor
53 South BatteryAcquisition Method
Collected by StaffLexicon
Search Terms
South Battery, Demolished buildings, lost buildings, Historic buildings--South Carolina--Charleston, Lost architecture--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 96Shelf
Prop File Shelves, Property File ShelvesRoom
Margaretta P. Childs ArchivesBuilding
Missroon HouseCategory
PermanentGeneral Notes
Note
Notes: Building history written by Ella McElwaine, 5/26/2016, Ashley Hall junior, during her 2-week "micro-internship" at HCF.Created By
admin@catalogit.appCreate Date
May 27, 2016Updated By
admin@catalogit.appUpdate Date
February 17, 2023