The Joseph Manigault House is a

historic house museum A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that is preserved as a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a variety of ...

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

that is owned and operated by the

Charleston Museum The Charleston Museum is a museum located in the Wraggborough neighborhood in Charleston, South Carolina. Established in 1773, it is the oldest museum in the United States. Its collection includes historic artifacts, natural history, decorative ...

. Built in 1803, it was designed by

Gabriel Manigault Gabriel Manigault (March 17, 1758 – November 4, 1809) was an American architect. Early life Manigault was born in Charleston, South Carolina, Charles Town on March 17, 1758. He was the son of Elizabeth Wragg Manigault and Peter Manigault, the ...

to be the home of his brother, and is nationally significant as a well-executed and preserved example of

Adam style The Adam style (also called Adamesque or the Style of the Brothers Adam) is an 18th-century neoclassical style of interior design and architecture, as practised by Scottish architect William Adam and his sons, of whom Robert (1728–1792) and ...

architecture. It was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

in 1973. and

Description and history

The Manigault House is located near the center of the Charleston peninsula, at the corner of Meeting and John Streets. It is a three-story brick structure, set on a raised brick foundation. The main facade has a two-story porch across the center three bays, with elaborate doorways on both floors featuring slender pilasters and sidelight windows. A semicircular stairwell projects from one sidewall, and a bowed porch from the other, giving the house the rough shape of a parallelogram. The interior features delicately refined woodwork in its fireplace mantels, door and window moulding, and cornices, reflective of the style promoted by

Robert Adam Robert Adam (3 July 17283 March 1792) was a British neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam (architect), William Adam (1689–1748), Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and train ...

, which differentiated the scale of these elements in domestic and civic architecture. The gatehouse standing near the property entrance is an architectural folly. The house was built in 1803 for Joseph Manigault to a design by his brother Gabriel.

had studied architecture in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

before the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, and was familiar with Robert Adam's design principles. This was the first major work of his to exhibit these principles, and was also one of the first houses in Charleston that was not obviously based on the standard "single house" and double house" models then commonly used. The house also includes a number of construction elements designed to minimize problems with pests. Manigault's

executor An executor is someone who is responsible for executing, or following through on, an assigned task or duty. The feminine form, executrix, is sometimes used. Executor of will An executor is a legal term referring to a person named by the maker o ...

sold the house in 1852 to George N. Reynolds, Jr., before it was passed onto John S. Riggs in 1864. In 1920, the house was threatened with demolition to make way for a gas station. In response, a group of Charlestonians organized a preservation group which would become the

Preservation Society of Charleston Founded in 1920, the Preservation Society of Charleston is the oldest community-based historic preservation organization in the United States. Susan Pringle Frost founded the organization, first known as the Society for the Preservation of Old Dwe ...

References

External links

Joseph Manigault House, at The Charleston Museum
at South Carolina Department of Archives and History {{DEFAULTSORT:Manigault, Joseph, House National Historic Landmarks in South Carolina Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina Houses completed in 1790 Museums in Charleston, South Carolina Historic house museums in South Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Charleston, South Carolina Houses in Charleston, South Carolina Historic district contributing properties in South Carolina

Description and history

See also

References

External links