The Charleston City Hall is a historical building in Charleston, South Carolina, designed by Gabriel Manigault. It was purchased by the city in 1819, and it has since served as the city’s main administrative center, making it the second-longest-serving city hall in the United States. The original site of City Hall was a beef market in 1739, but it was destroyed in a fire in 1796. The corner parcel was then conveyed to the Charleston branch of the First Bank of the United States in 1800, and the construction of the bank was overseen by Edward Magrath, Joseph Nicholsen, and Andrew Gordon.
In 1882, modifications were made to the building, including the application of stucco over the formerly exposed brickwork, the addition of a metal roof, and the gutting of the interior. The current City Council chambers were built during this renovation, and Henry Oliver was paid $14,000 as the contractor. The council chambers feature a semicircular plan for the members of the council, with a gallery overlooking the chamber on the north, east, and west sides. The building underwent further modifications after the earthquake of 1886, which damaged the exterior and necessitated the installation of Victorian woodwork.
In 1897, the heating system exploded, causing water damage to the building. City Council considered demolishing the building and replacing it with a new one due to its poor condition, but the cost of building a new structure was deemed too high. Instead, the building underwent repair and improvement work, including the installation of new heaters and the recoating of the building with cement.
In 2003, restoration discussions began on the building, with a projected cost of $5 million to repair and stabilize the building against future earthquake damage. The building reopened in 2007 after extensive restoration work was completed. The Charleston City Hall has many notable paintings on display, including a full-length portrait of George Washington by John Trumbull and a portrait of James Monroe by Samuel B. Morse.
Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, with a population of 150,277 as of the 2020 U.S. Census. Founded in 1670 as Charles Town, it was relocated to its present site in 1680 and became the fifth-largest city in North America within ten years. Charleston’s significance in American history is tied to its role as a major slave trading port, with almost one-half of the slaves imported to the United States arriving in Charleston. In 2018, the city formally apologized for its role in the American Slave trade after CNN noted that slavery "riddles the history" of Charleston.
The author of the content went on a 7,126 km cycling tour from Montreal, Canada, to Savannah, GA, over 2.5 months, and took more than 68,000 photos of historic architecture. They offer their photography on Patreon or as a donation.
Posted by Billy Wilson Photography on 2023-03-28 02:02:12