Harleston Village, Charleston SC By: Alex

Cohn

Harleston Village –Area Character Appraisal

Harleston Village is located in the heart of the Downtown Charleston

peninsula. Following the creation of the first Charleston suburb, Ansonborough, in

16961, Harleston Village was Charleston’s second and more prominent residential

suburb. Created from land granted to Henry Hughes and John Coming in 1961-622,

Harleston Village was built on the 17 acres of peninsular land left to Coming’s wife,

Affra Harleston Coming, following his death. This land covered the east portion to St.

Philip’s parish as “glebe” land (land titled to a church) while the northeastern

portion became the “Free School” lands which later became the College of

Charleston in the year of 17703. Harleston Village today includes these two sections

with the addition of the Mazyck lands located South of Beaufain St. and Wragg’s

pasture bound by St. Philip, King, Calhoun and Beaufain Streets. Affra Harleston

Coming died about the year of 1699. In her will, dated 28 Dec 1698, Affra

bequeathed her estate to her nephews John Harleston and Elias Ball, to be divided

equally between them4.

In 1770, John Harleston divided Harleston Village into lots along streets

which he named after important American Liberty men such as: American rights

defender William Pitt, South Carolina Assembly members John Rutledge, Thomas

1 "Ansonborough Real Estate | Charleston SC Homes for Sale." Ansonborough Charleston SC Real Estate. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. <http://www.locountry.com/ansonborough.html>.2 "CCPL - Charleston County Public Library - South, Carolina." CCPL - Charleston County Public Library - South, Carolina. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. <http://ccpl.org/content.asp?id=15842&action=detail&catID=6062&parentID=6046>.3 Poston, Jonathan H. The Buildings of Charleston: A Guide to the City's Architecte. Columbia, SC: U of South Carolina, 1997. Print.4 "Affra Harleston." Low Country Africana Affra Harleston Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. <http://www.lowcountryafricana.com/affra-harleston/>.

Lynch, and Christopher Gadsden, and Customs Collector/member of the Governor’s

Council Hector Beringer De Beaufain. With the opening of Glebe Street in 1797, 37

lots became open for lease with most still in the hands of the perish. The present day

Glebe lands contain a few pre-revolutionary dwellings such as the Minister’s (now

Bishop’s) House on 89 Wentworth Street with only a few pre-1775 homes

remaining5.

As previously mentioned, Harleston Village is located on the central Eastern

side of the Charleston Peninsula. Harleston village is bounded on the North by the

South side of Calhoun Street and bounded on the South by the North side of Broad

Street. From the East, Harleston Village is bounded by the Western side of king

street and ends on the West at Lockwood Drive (the western edge of the peninsula).

In this relatively square area of the peninsula, 9 streets laid out in a grid style, run

through the center of the village. These include Wentworth, Montagu, and Bull

Streets running from the East to West, and Pitt, Coming, Smith, Rutledge, Lynch

(Now named Ashley), Gadsden, and Barre Streets running from the North to South6.

The neighborhood that is Harleston Village has evolved considerably over

the time of its existence. With the exception of its industrial history of Thomas

Bennett Sr. and Daniel Cannon’s lumber mill in the late 18th century on the western

side of the neighborhood, Harleston Village owes much of its development to its

diverse population. Harleston Village was built on the highest portion of land on the

5 Poston, Jonathan H. The Buildings of Charleston: A Guide to the City's Architecte. Columbia, SC: U of South Carolina, 1997. Print.6 "The Downtown Charleston Neighborhoods: Harleston Village." Charleston SC Real Estate Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. <http://www.carolinajoe.com/blog/index.cfm/2010/6/9/The-Downtown-Charleston-Neighborhoods---Part-1>.

peninsula and meant to be mainly residential. The College of Charleston attracted a

small professorial group to the neighborhood while Charleston’s antebellum

intellectuals also lived there including essayist and poet Hugh Swinton Legare,

author William Rivers, and progressive leader Christopher Gustavus Memminger.

Coming St., starting from the north of the peninsula and ending at Beaufain St.,

became the most popular street for Charleston’s “Free Black” (Mulatto Elites as they

called themselves) population in the years before 18617. The first census, in 1790,

found 8,089 white persons, 7,684 slaves, and 586 free blacks in Charleston. This

tells us that very early in Charleston's history free blacks constituted nearly 3.6% of

the city's population. By 1861 free blacks comprised 7.8% of Charleston's

population8. This growing population of free blacks before the Civil War shows how

progressive of a city Charleston was and added a lot to its diversity and culture

compared to any other South Carolina city.

One major urban planning event that impacted Harleston Village significantly

(and positively) was the filling of Bennett Mill Pond between 1880 and 19009. This

allowed for an extension of Rutledge and Ashley (Lynch) Avenues, which gave rise

to the creation of Cannon Park. Numerous new lots became available and

development occurred around the new public space including the famous Colonial

Lake, which has brought the city much positive attention. Also, the Harleston Green

Club, the first organized golf club in America played their first game in this area of 7 Poston, Jonathan H. The Buildings of Charleston: A Guide to the City's Architecte. Columbia, SC: U of South Carolina, 1997. Print.8 "Charleston SC Free Blacks – A Demographic Overview." South Carolina SC. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. <http://www.sciway.net/hist/chicora/freepersons.html>.9 "CCPL - Charleston County Public Library - South, Carolina." CCPL - Charleston County Public Library - South, Carolina. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. <http://ccpl.org/content.asp?id=15649&action=detail&catID=6026&parentID=5747>.

Harleston Village. Evolution of the village continued into the 20th century with the

filling of areas after World War II along the Ashley River. The College of Charleston

has had a major impact in the development of Harleston Village. The college has

expanded across the Glebe lands and into the eastern end of Harleston Village. Over

the years, The College of Charleston has restored numerous buildings across the

campus, closed streets such as College and Green Streets, and demolished buildings

along St. Philip and George Streets.

Since its creation in 1770, Harleston Village has gone through thousands of

redevelopment, preservation/restoration, and urban planning projects. Dating back

to May of 1961, all property west of coming street, through east side of Rutledge to

South side of Calhoun to broad, was available for commercial uses. According to a

flyer entitled “Selling Out” found in the Harleston Village vertical file at the

Charleston County Public Library, apparently the residents of Harleston Village did

not think this was a fantastic idea. “…the signatures of more than 200 property

owners who have requested the re-classification of this area from “B” to “A”

residential should be the first and most important consideration of the authorities.

Who knows more about the proper use of a building than the man who owns it?10”

This flyer is significant to understanding the city preservation initiatives because it

shows the expressed concern of development by the residents of this area and how

an influx of commerce and industry would impact the “A” classification of the

residential neighborhood.

10 Post and Courier article from May 1961 found in the CCPL South Carolina History Room vertical file.

Also found in the Harleston Village Vertical File was a Post and Courier

article from May 14th, 2008 entitled “30 new Homes for Old City.” This article

discussed the proposal from Developer Warren Irving’s plans of the construction of

30 new homes on the old Lumber yard property by Alberta Long Lake ranging in

size from 2,500 to 4,000 square feet of heated area. “Irving has worked with Atlanta-

based Summerour & Associates Architects Inc. to design a project he feels is in

keeping with Harleston Village.” Irving’s plans received very much positive feedback

from the community and the Harleston Village Neighborhood Association.

A newer concern in the city stems from an ordinance amending the city's

zoning regulations to add a new section, Section 54-946 “Regulating Government-

Initiated Downzoning.” The ordinance would require the City of Charleston to “pay

property owners compensation in the amount of the reduction in fair market value

of real property caused by any future, new or amended zoning ordinances and land

use regulations, even if those values end up rising later.11”

Since 1931, the City has been managed through a planning and zoning

ordinance that included the nation's first historic preservation ordinance that

became a model for the nation.  Over time, the zoning ordinance has changed as

Charleston has changed.  The historic districts have expanded; new ideas such as

height ordinances have emerged; the locations of hotels are regulated; the hours of

operation of certain businesses are restricted; the uses of properties are controlled

11 "Preservation Society of Charleston South Carolina." Preservation Society of Charleston South Carolina. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. <http://www.preservationsociety.org/program_currentdetail.asp?icID=65>.

to ensure compatibility with adjacent properties and neighborhoods12. All

neighborhoods in the Historic District of Charleston all remain under the same law.

The Urban Design and Preservation division is responsible for administration of the

Board of Architectural Review (BAR) within Charleston’s historic districts and

Landmark Overlay properties. It investigates new proposed projects and violations

of the preservation ordinance within that purview. The division is also responsible

for the administration of the Design Review Board (DRB), which oversees the design

and alterations of properties outside the city’s historic districts. The Urban Design

and Preservation division assists and offers guidance for the community on matters

of historic preservation and urban design13.

The Architectural aspect of Harleston Village is relatively diverse.

Throughout the early 19th century, lots were divided from larger tracts and

dwellings, mostly of the single house plan, were constructed. In the 1840s and

1850s, Harleston Village experienced an Architectural boom with the construction

of many residences in Greek revival, Gothic, Italianate, antebellum/neoclassical and

Georgian styles based on side-hall, double parlor plans14. One of the few rows of

townhouses in Charleston, Bee’s Row, was constructed on Bull Street. Churches such

as the Grace Episcopal Church built on St. Michael’s portion of the Glebe lands, and

the Old Bethel United Methodist Church marked the North and South boundaries of

the neighborhood. Postbellum industrialists, following the lead of William Ashmead 12 "Preservation Society of Charleston South Carolina." Preservation Society of Charleston South Carolina. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. <http://www.preservationsociety.org/program_currentdetail.asp?icID=65>.13 "Welcome to an Engaged Community." Charleston, SC. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. <http://www.charleston-sc.gov/index.aspx?nid=292>.14 Poston, Jonathan H. The Buildings of Charleston: A Guide to the City's Architecte. Columbia, SC: U of South Carolina, 1997. Print.

Courtenay, often lived in Harleston Village either retrofitting old homes with

Victorian details and materials or constructing new residences. There are a myriad

of significant buildings and dwellings in the Harleston Village neighborhood. Some

include the Old City Jail on Frankin Street, the Minister’s (bishop’s) House at 87-89

Wentworth St. (connected homes), the William Blacklock House at 18 Bull St., the

Isaac Jenkins Mikell House at 94 Rutledge, and the College of Charleston’s Randolph

Hall, all of which were built in a melting pot of different styles/cultures during a

wide range of generations and have greatly impacted this city and the world of

preservation.

Appendix

Maps:

Parks/ Landmarks:

Churches:

Google Map of Harleston Village’s present day boundaries

Halsey Map drawing of Harleston Village including Harleston Land, Glebe land, free school land, Wragg’s Pasture, and Mazyck land

Colonial Lake built after the filling of Bennett Mill Pond between Rutledge and Ashley avenues

Cannon Park on Rutledge Avenue. Also the site of the Charleston Museum, which mysteriously burned down in October 1981

The Old City Jail at 21 Magazine St., which was operational from 1802 until 1939, housed Charleston's most infamous criminals, and then during the Civil War, Federal prisoners of war.

Grace Episcopal Church at 98 Wentworth Street- Glebe Land

Old Bethel United Methodist Church at 222 Calhoun Street- North boundary of Harleston Village. Constructed in 1797 by the congregation of the church on Cumberland Street but later moved to make way for a new Bethel United Methodist Church

After the old Bethel United Methodist Church was moved, this new Bethel was constructed in a simple temple form Greek revival church featuring 6 Doric columns supporting a pedimented portico

Important Buildings/ Dwellings:

Randolph Hall, built in 1828–29, is one of the oldest college buildings still in use in the U.S. Named for the 11th president of the College (Harrison Randolph), Randolph Hall served as the main academic building on campus for many years. It was built in Greek Revival Style and has been featured in a couple major motion pictures and tv shows such as The Patriot, The Notebook, Dear John, General Hospital, etc. due to its historic look and beauty.

In 1881, a wealthy cotton merchant named Francis Silas Rodgers set out to build an elegant home in Charleston, S.C., worthy of his family of 13 and he did just that. This Second Empire Victorian style Mansion, now called Wentworth Mansion, is now an elegant Charleston Hotel and restaurant for tourists to endure just what Rodgers had in mind for a Charleston lifestyle.

This set of elegant Italianate row houses, called Bee’s Row is the only row of townhouses in Harleston Village.

Located at 87-89 Wentworth St. is the Minister’s (Bishop’s) House, which is actually two connected homes constructed at the same time and is one of a few pre-1775 dwellings left in Harleston Village.

The Isaac Jenkins Mikell House is a massive Greek revival residence in the style of grand Italian villa that was built in 1853-1854 at 94 Rutledge Avenue by Edisto Island cotton planter Isaac Jenkins Mikell for his third wife, Mary Martha Pope. It is now home to the stars of Bravo TV’s Southern Charm.

Named After William Blacklock and located at 18 Bull St., this mansion was built in 1800, and is one of the United States' most important Federal/Adamesque houses. The house is two stories of brick on a high brick basement. The facade features a large lunette in the pediment, openings in blind arches, delicate tracery, and a double flight of iron-railed steps.