It is always exciting to visit a place that is rich with events, culture and history. There is something magical about choosing a vacation spot that can offer you the delight of the modern city life and the traditions of the old. Charleston, South Carolina is just the place you will want to go if you are seeking great food, recreational activities, relaxing on the beach or all of the majesty of historical architecture.

The establishment of Charleston was formed in 1670, and was named after the English King of the time - King Charles. Due to the English colonialism, many of the buildings that are found within Charleston have been inspired by some of the best English architects. To this day you can find in historic Charleston a variety of magnificent churches, government buildings, plantations and houses that are uniquely designed with the flavour of the English past. It is for this reason that it is sometimes referred to as "Little London".

Among some of the interesting building you will discover include:

Charleston City Hall- built in 1800, and its purpose was to be another branch for the American bank known as The First Bank of the United States. It was designed with a style recognized as the Adamesque.

Charleston's County Courthouse, and the United States Post Office- both of these buildings were constructed in the year 1896. Inside these splendid buildings you will discover an interior that surpasses anything you could imagine. The sheer elegance is truly out of this world. There are a number of rooms, marble staircases, woodwork of mahogany, brass trimmings and more.

The Market Hall and Sheds- This market was previously owned by a family before it was given to the city to be used as a public market in 1788. The Market Hall and Sheds is the only remaining market left in Charleston. It is a strong example of Greek Revival architecture, which is also seen in some of the famous historical Charleston churches.

There are over 1400 different buildings that you can find in historic Charleston. You can learn all about these fantastic places and the exciting history of historic Charleston by visiting any one of the great Charleston museums. You can choose to explore the building of historic Charleston on your own, or you can take any one of the number of tours that are made available for you. Many of the tours are interesting and engaging, and if you are looking for a little bit of fun and adventure, you can attend the eerie night tour that leads you into the bowels of the famous Charleston jail that once housed some of the world's most despicable and murderous criminals.
There are also a number of plantations and historic houses that you can visit during your stay, so make sure you acquire a map. This way you will be able to plan your days, and you will be able to enjoy all the beautiful history Charleston has to offer. 

========================================================

HISTORIC CHARLESTON , SC Luxury HOMES FOR SALE-OWN A PIECE OF HISTORY

Have you ever dreamed of living in an old historic home? Well Charleston has just the home awaiting you.  With over 600 homes in the down town Charleston area you can pick a fixer up from $99,000. to a $ 10,300,000 home on the Battery over looking the Charleston Harbor. Dream can come true....

Most homes down town are "Charleston single". Named for the plan of the house, the Charleston Single House building type consists of a one room-wide house that is traditionally two rooms deep with a stair hall built at the main entrance to the home from an outdoor porch (piazza). Single Houses are traditionally two stories high, but larger examples are seen throughout Charleston. The piazza entrance to the home resembles a traditional main entry, but actually leads to the piazza where the main entrance is found.

The single house is usually sited asymmetrically along or very near one side lot line devoting most of it's unbuilt lot area to a single side yard. The house is "open" to its own side yard with facing porches and large windows. Conversely a single house is "closed" or hermetic with fewer and smaller windows on the side facing its neighbor's side yard so that each house has privacy in its designated outdoor space even when houses are built very close together. Today side yards are often used for parking one car or two cars in tandem with the space sometimes doubling as a courtyard when the cars are removed.

Single houses can be subdivided into two flats or as many as four apartments. Access to the second floor unit(s) may be via an exterior staircase from the lower to upper piazza.

This house type was an adaptation both to allow air to flow through the entire length of the house and piazzas (especially effective if the house is properly oriented to catch the wind).

As Charleston grew into a tourist hub, the Charleston Single House building type became the subject of numerous myths and legends. Among these myths are the reputed fact that the Single House was built as an adaptation to the method of taxation based on street frontage, or that the building type was derived from vernacular structures of Barbados; a lucrative sugar producing country throughout much of the 17th and 18th centuries, where many early Charleston families kept sugar plantations. These facts are popular among Charleston tour guides but are not accurate.

The Charleston Single House building type is found exclusively in Peninsular Charleston, SC. The building type was built throughout the 17 and 1800s, but abruptly began disappearing some time in the 1890s. It is said that at its peak, the Charleston Single House dominated Charleston with around 4,000 single houses in existence. Today that figure is estimated to be around 2,700.

Gloria J May, Relator
EXIT Realty Chatleston Group