43 Meeting.

One of the perks of my job is that I get to see a lot of fancy private homes in Charleston. One of the houses that keeps finding its way into my work is the James Mitchell House at 43 Meeting Street. The house was on tour in the fall, and then used again for a reception for the recent Vitruviana symposium. I have now been in the house three times, and I would happily take any opportunity to return.

The house was built circa 1798 and is a typical Charleston single house. It has been through many alterations in its life, and at one time was bright pink and lacking a piazza. The house recently underwent a massive preservation effort that restored the piazza and returned it to a historic coloration, among other expansive tasks. The recent project earned the house a 2013 Carolopolis award recognizing it as a preservation success.

Maybe it is because I have gotten to see this house multiple times, but I do love it. I have some sort of attachment to it, as if I have an insider connection to the building. But I feel a similar claim to many of the houses I have written on in Charleston - I've just been lucky enough to also see this one.

Lois Lane Properties did a blog post on this house in March, which provides additional information and images, including pictures before and after various renovations and preservation projects. I strongly encourage you to CLICK HERE and take a look.

The Baptist Catholic, or the Catholic Baptist.

The Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist sits on Broad Street. My work parking spot used to be in their lot, but I recently was moved to a neighboring space. Regardless of my assigned parking location, I see this cathedral just about every day. It is beautiful, large, and different. The brown exterior is different from the typical quite or gray church buildings found on the peninsula. The interior is grand, and reminded me of visits to old gothic cathedrals in Europe. It is much more elaborately embellished than churches I have experienced most, a reminder that I am a protestant. But buildings like this make the art history major in me wake up. Somehow I have managed to get used to the beautiful architecture of Charleston. I look at these buildings without really seeing them, but this is one worth seeing.

I do frequently have trouble remembering what denomination this church belongs to. I know if I really thought about it, it should be obvious that this building is Catholic. But it's the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, so I tend to think of this as a Baptist church. It most definitely isn't. It's a Catholic church named for a Baptist. Or something like that.

Definitely Presbyterian.

Since coming down to Charleston, my dad has been asking me if I have attended First Scots Presbyterian Church. Today, I finally went.

I tried to take a picture where you could read the sign, but nothing really came out. It was an overcast and rainy day, so taking a good picture was difficult.

First Scots was established in 1731, which makes it a very old Presbyterian church. The whole experience just reminded me of how strongly I identify as Presbyterian. They had the blue hymn books that are oh-so-familiar. The church strongly celebrates it's Scottish heritage, as suggested in the name, and at least one person in attendance today was wearing a kilt. The church has an annual Kirkin of the Tartan, which I sadly missed in September. And on top of being a comforting Presbyterian place, the interior of the building was really beautiful.

Getting Over It.

I mentioned in a previous blog post that I was preparing for the Cooper River Bridge Run. Today was race day and I successfully completed my first 10K. Before today, the most I had run was maybe 5.5 miles, so 6.2 felt like a lot. But I did it and I was able to run the whole way.

This is the pre-race picture. If you can't tell, it's still dark outside. The race started at 8:00, but with 40,000 in attendance, we had to get to the starting point rather early. I don't remember the last time I woke up at 4:30, and I don't plan to do it again any time soon. It was kind of nice to watch the sunrise, but not that nice. The race was fun, and it was nice to feel like a part of Charleston. People come from all over to run this race - the winner was from Ethiopia - but I felt like I had an advantage being local. I'd run over the bridge before. I got to run through areas of downtown that I don't frequently see, but that I am familiar with. I knew my way around the area after I finished. I don't think I'll sign up to do another 10K in the immediate future, but I am really glad I ran the bridge today.

Burbage's.

Corner grocery stores and shops are quite a trend in Charleston. I lived above one in the fall and it was really convenient. If I woke up and realized my milk had expired, I could just go downstairs and buy a new carton before work. A lot of the shops have closed or been converted into residential only buildings, but a number of them still function as groceries scattered about the peninsula.

Many of the old grocery stores were owned and operated by German immigrants and their families. Burbage's is no exception. It stands on the corner of Savage and Broad Streets, and it is the only corner grocery store that still exists south of Broad. It is just a short walk from the Preservation Society so today I walked over for lunch. They sell sandwiches, chips, drinks, and some produce - typical small grocery store items. I have read some on the Burbage family in my research for work so it was fun to finally see the shop, and it was a nice excuse to get away from my desk on a warm spring day.

The prankster Andrea Palladio.

Next weekend is the Vitruviana symposium hosted by a number of history and preservation minded groups including Drayton Hall (below) and the Preservation Society. While I haven't been involved with any of the planning, I've posted a few things on the society's Facebook and I am looking forward to attending some of the lectures.

I am rarely reminded of the fact that I work for a preservation organization without a preservation degree. One of the times that it seems most apparent, however, is when referring to specific elements or periods of architecture. I frequently lack the ability to describe the specifics of an architectural trend. When mentioning the Vitruviana conference, someone recently asked me what Palladian architecture was. My response? "Architecture inspired by the drawings of Andrea Palladio." Helpful...

Palladian architecture is considered to be classical architecture. It values symmetry and balance, and was inspired by the classic designs of ancient Greece and Rome. My favorite part of the classical importance of symmetry is the trend of false doors. Many Palladian and Adamesque (more neoclassical) have fake doors that never open and have nothing behind them. This is because of the need for symmetry. If it a room has an entrance on the left side, it better have a door on the right. It amuses me to think of people sitting around debating the need for an extra non-functional doorway. I appreciate visual balance, but for some reason I really find these door embellishments to be quite entertaining. 

Maybe it is because they are absolutely, without a doubt, purely decorative. And I can just hear the 18th-century accents discussing decorations. "This would make a nice big wall to hang a fine tapestry." "No, I disagree. Instead of room for a tapestry, let's add a false door. That will fool everyone." It's like the architects were playing tricks on their guests with an extra door. How clever, Andrea Palladio. How clever.