Charleston Church, State and Stately Homes

Let architecture be your guide to Charleston, South Carolina’s rich history. The beautiful churches, handsome government buildings, and magnificent houses that line its streets form a living museum that offers a window into the past. As a colonial seat of power, the city boasts grand governmental buildings including three that are arrayed at the famed Four Corners of Law dating from 1753 to 1896. Saint Michael’s Anglican church, Charleston’s oldest church building, forms the fourth corner of this historic intersection, which features a variety of 18th- and 19th century architectural styles. In addition to St. Michael’s, we will visit First Scots Presbyterian Church, founded in 1731, the Romanesque-revival Circular Congregationalist Church, and the Gothic sanctuary of the Catholic Cathedral. Our tour will also take us past splendid mansions including America’s finest Georgian houses and Rainbow Row as we walk along picturesque lanes and the spectacular sea wall of the Battery.

-Meet at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist and tour its 1850 Gothic-revival sanctuary -Walk to the Four Corners of Law, site of the old South Carolina State House, City Hall, and U.S. Courthouse, as well as Saint Michael’s Church, built in the 1750s. -After viewing First Scots Presbyterian Church (1814), we will travel to King Street to admire the Miles Brewton House, built in the 1760s. -A walk along South Battery will take us past fine mansions in styles ranging from Georgian to Victorian. Continuing along the East Battery’s sea wall, we will view some of Charleston’s grandest houses, as well as the pastel-colored facades of Rainbow Row. -The tour also includes a visit to the Old Exchange (1771)—the center of Charleston’s mercantile trade—before concluding at the historic building and churchyard of Circular Congregationalist Church, founded in 1681. -We will enter buildings that are open to the public during our tour.