Branford-Horry House Charleston, South Carolina
National Register of Historic Places Data
The Branford-Horry House has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places with the following information, which has been imported from the National Register database and/or the Nomination Form . Please note that not all available data may be shown here, minor errors and/or formatting may have occurred during transcription, and some information may have become outdated since listing.
- National Register ID
- 70000573
- Date Listed
- October 15, 1970
- Name
- Branford-Horry House
- Address
- 59 Meeting St.
- City/Town
- Charleston
- County
- Charleston
- State
- South Carolina
- Category
- building
- Level of Sig.
- national
- Years of Sig.
- 1767; 1834
- Areas of Sig.
- ARCHITECTURE
Description
Text courtesy of the National Register of Historic Places, a program of the National Parks Service. Minor transcription errors or changes in formatting may have occurred; please see the Nomination Form PDF for official text. Some information may have become outdated since the property was nominated for the Register.
Three-story Georgian brick building with stucco covered walls. Three steps above street level; about 45 feet (five bays) wide and 43 feet (four bays) deep. Windows have 19th century frames and light sash. First-story windows have exterior paneled shutters; shutters of upper-floor windows are louvered. Original appearance of street (east) facade greatly altered in 1831-34 by construction of two story Regency style porches extending over sidewalk.
Typical Charleston "double house" plan: bisecting center hall flanked by pair of rooms on either side. Hall divided by arch at midpoint; stairway in rear portion, against north partition wall. Plan repeated on second floor, except center hall-extends only halfway and front portion of house is divided into three-bay-wide drawing room and two-baywide card,room. Third floor contains four bedrooms.
Walls of first two floors are cypress paneled; fireplaces, back to back, have elaborately carved Georgian mantels. Dividing arch in first floor entrance hall and elaborate framing pilasters and entablature of two wide folding doors opening into two front reception rooms were added in 1831-34. Two flanking doorways were probably also widened to present size then.
Large second floor drawing room in southeast (front) corner is most elaborately decorated room. Arched doorway flanked by fluted Corinthian pilasters. Cypress paneling and tulip and mahogany in pilasters, fretwork, and molding have had original coats of paint removed and now have natural finish.
Interior of house restored during 1940s.
Statement of Significance
Text courtesy of the National Register of Historic Places, a program of the National Parks Service. Minor transcription errors or changes in formatting may have occurred; please see the Nomination Form PDF for official text. Some information may have become outdated since the property was nominated for the Register.
The house was considered as a National Historic Landmark reflecting significant Colonial architecture. It was built for William Branford, a wealthy planter, in 1765-67 and is rated one of Charleston's finest examples of a three-story brick townhouse, or "double house." In 1801 it was purchased by Thomas Horry, who had married Branford's daughter. His son, Elias Horry, president of the South Carolian Canal and Railroad Company from 1831 to 1834, inherited the house and altered it somewhat. The house was owned by the Horry family until 1853.
