Rainbow Row Leads to Charleston’s Pot of Gold

Charleston, S.C. offers a wealth of attractions, but its pot of gold lies in historic houses. You can find 13 of these homes along Rainbow Row. Dating back to the 1740s, they are perhaps the most photographed in the city.

You can find this iconic row downtown near the Battery* north of Tradd Street and south of Elliott Street. The addresses are 79 through 107 on East Bay Street. 

Charleston’s Caribbean Roots

King Charles II offered opportunities in the New World to European leaders who had settled in Barbados. They brought along the Caribbean colors when they colonized the Carolinas. Practical, as well as pretty, the light and bright hues helped keep temperatures cooler inside during sweltering summers.

East Bay Street operated as a center of commerce for the busy wharf and docks. The merchants who owned the Georgian-style buildings of Rainbow Row ran businesses from their ground floors and lived upstairs. 

Restoration

Following the Civil War, the facades faded. East Bay Street deteriorated into what was considered a slum for decades. That began to turn around when suffragette Susan Pringle Frost, the founder of what became the Preservation Society of Charleston, purchased six of the homes in 1920. She’d planned to restore them but her hopes were not matched by funds.

In 1931, Judge Lionel Legge and his wife Dorothy Porcher Legge bought 99 through 101 East Bay Street. In renovating, the couple chose paint colors from the pastel palette of the past for the exteriors. Neighbors and subsequent owners followed suit.

Today, Rainbow Row remains a portal to the past. It’s a charming must-see when visiting Charleston.

Highlights & Real Estate Opportunities:

Numbers 83, The William Stone House, circa 1784, and Number 87, The James Gordon House, circa 1792, are the two most original homes. The first has only undergone minor restorations and the latter retains most of its original stucco.

Number 91 & 91.5, Inglis Arch House, circa 1787. Built and destroyed in the same year, the home was rebuilt and sold to Nathaniel Russell in 1793. After several owners, Susan Pringle Frost bought it along with five others on Rainbow Row. She sold it to N.Y. playwright John McGowan in 1941 and the home maintains several of his renovation features.

This past spring, the main building and its carriage house, a combined 6,471 square feet, was offered at $5,499,00. The carriage homesold separately for $1,725,000 in July.

Contact me if you’re interested in the main house for approximately $3.3 million. You won’t find it as an active listing online. But you can check out the picture-perfect property in Southern Living.

Number 95, circa 1741. Along with Charles Cotesworth Pickney who owned it in 1779 and John McGowan who renovated in 1938, you could call this home sweet home. The listing was canceled in June. But it might be available when the lease is up. Originally offered for sale at $2,175,000, it’s currently rented at $5,5oo a month.

Number 105, The Dutarque-Guida House, circa 1782-84. A French Huguenot named Lewis Dutarque built and owned the home until it was bought by an Italian immigrant. Giovanni Domenico Guida added a Victorian-style storefront. His family and descendants operated a grocery store there until the 1960s!

F.Y.I.

 *The Battery is another historic landmark. You can walk along the promenade of the defensive seawall. It was built to protect the city from the British, Union soldiers and the sea. Extending across the lower peninsula, it offers an overlook for viewing where the Ashley and Cooper Rivers meet to form the Charleston harbor.

Susan Matthews is a writer and Realtor serving greater Charleston, SC with Coldwell Banker Global Luxury. Contact her here.