Charleston City Hall is a historic building situated in the largest city in South Carolina, USA. The building was designed by Gabriel Manigault and was originally built as a beef market in 1739. The market was destroyed in a fire in 1796 and the parcel was later conveyed to the Charleston branch of the First Bank of the United States in 1800. It became the city hall of Charleston in 1819 and is now the second-longest-serving city hall in the United States.
In 1882, the building was modified and renovated, including the stuccoing over of formerly exposed brickwork, the addition of a metal roof, and the gutting of the interior. The current City Council chambers on the second floor were also built at this time. The council chambers were carpeted and had the mayor’s seat along the south side, with black walnut desks arranged in a semicircular plan for the members of the city council. The exterior of the building was also changed, with the walls being raised five feet and the windows changed to French windows with walnut frames.
After the earthquake of 1886, the council chambers were modified again with Victorian woodwork. The earthquake also damaged the exterior of the building, and large chunks of marble fell off the building in 1897. The heating system exploded on November 9, 1897, and water infiltrated the building. A committee was charged with deciding the response and favored demolishing and replacing the building. However, City Council ultimately decided to restore the building due to the high cost of building a replacement for the prominent corner.
In 1898, contracts were executed for the repair and improvement of the building, including the recoating of the building with cement, the installation of new heaters, and the configuration of the offices. The officials began returning to the repaired building in late February 1899. In 2003, city officials began discussing restoration of the building, as the 1886 earthquake repairs had not been done well in the first place. The expected cost of repairing and stabilizing the building against future earthquake damage was $5 million, but some officials suspected the price would far exceed that amount.
Today, Charleston City Hall is a historic building with 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 itself is a historic city founded in 1670 as Charles Town and relocated in 1680 to its present site. Its government was handled directly by a colonial legislature and a governor sent by Parliament during the colonial period. Charleston’s significance in American history is tied to its role as a major slave trading port.
The building and the city itself offer rich opportunities for photography, and the Instagram and Patreon accounts offer a way to support the photographer’s work. Overall, Charleston City Hall is an important historic landmark in the United States with a long and unique history.
Posted by Billy Wilson Photography on 2022-12-02 20:27:54
