LIFE BEYOND FIRST CLASS
ESTATES
CONTINUED LEGACY
117 Broad Street
Charleston, South Carolina
$8,300,000
JESSICA HALL
A rare opportunity to own the creme-de-la-creme of historic properties. A prestigious address and home to the youngest signer of the Declaration of Independence.
The property’s lineage is truly impressive. It was initially built circa 1760 for the wealthy merchant, James Laurens, by architects/builders Miller & Fullerton. Laurens, unlike the rest of his family, did not have a taste for the revolutionary politics of the time, so he moved to England to take care of family matters. His brother Henry, who succeeded John Hancock to become the President of our nation’s Second Continental Congress, took over the property for a few years. His affiliation with General George Washington caused Henry to be captured by the Brits and subsequently imprisoned in the Tower of London. He was later exchanged for Cornwallis after the British defeat at the Battle of Yorktown. Lauren’s son, John Laurens served as aide-de-camp to General George Washington and has now been immortalized as a charter in The Broadway hit, Hamilton. Henry initially rented the home to the young attorney and statesman Edward Rutledge. At the age of 26, he was the youngest signer of the Declaration of Independence and later became Governor of South Carolina, hence the name The Governor’s House Inn. Records indicate that Rutledge first rented the home from Laurens with payment made in the form of the small black spice, “peppercorn.” He later bought the home in 1788 for 4,000 pounds.
The original Lauren’s estate was gloriously designed in the classic Georgian style with tall ceilings, a center stairway, and two rooms symmetrically located on either side. Many of the original features, such as the original five-bay center section, pine floors, seven fireplaces, and triple-hung 9-foot windows, exquisitely detailed mouldings, and of course, the 12-foot ceiling height still exist. Fisher reveals, “Though it has been altered and added onto since construction with unique features such as the grand Greek Revival wrap around piazzas, the house is a Category 3 house and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its association with Edward Rutledge.”
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Step into the main level of the property and be prepared for jaw-dropping sophistication and history that includes a grand entry with sitting area, formal dining room, piano room, parlor, a kitchen, reception room, office, powder room, and one guest suite. Glide up the wooden spiral staircase to find four additional guest suites, three with sitting rooms, on the second floor. The third floor is equally as impressive with two more guest suites. The ground floor, or “terrace level,” has two guest suites along with a studio apartment featuring a kitchenette and full bathroom for a house overseer. Be sure not to miss two guest suites with separate sitting rooms that are found in the kitchen house. In addition and a major plus, the double lot size allows for 14 off-street parking spaces and a beautiful garden.
Whether you choose to take advantage of South Carolina’s tourism boom or revel in this mansion as a single-family home, you can’t go wrong owning one of Charleston’s most iconic historic properties.
117 Broad Street, Charleston, South Carolina is listed at
$8,300,000
For more information or to schedule a private showing, please contact
Deborah C. Fisher
M: 1.843.810.4110
O: 1.843.727.6460