William Pinckney Shingler House, 9 Limehouse Street, Charleston

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS SC,10-CHAR,184-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

tectural features, owned by a "businessman and planter. PART I. HISTORICAL INFORMATION A. Physical History 1. Original and subsequent owners: William PInckney Shingler purchased land, July 19, [R.M.C.O., p. April 28, [R.M.C.O., April 17, [R.M.C.O., p. Sold to James R. Addison, August 1, (including the house) [R.M.C.O.? p. Addison sold to Augustus H. Jones, March &} Passed by inheritance to ff. B. Smith and thence to Prioleau Whaley [R.M.C.O., p. In Limehouse Street opened. Two lots were pur- chased by Shingler. 2. Date of erection: About 3. Notes on original plan and construction of building: The house itself seems to be mostly in its original state, revealing the original plan. 4. Notes on Imown alterations and additions: Dining-room mantel brought from Hugh Wilson house (demolished).

Service buildings were demolished sometime ago; present service wing constructed c. [Interview with Dr. Wilson, August 28, B. Historical Events and Persons Associated with Building: Shingler was a businessman and planter; later a signer of the Ordinance of Secession and colonel in the Confederate Army.. C. Sources of Information: Register Mesne Conveyance Office, Charleston County Courthouse. :. [These data were furnished by Samuel G. Stoney, Tradd.Street, Charleston, South Carolina.] WILLIAM'PINCKNEY SHINGL3R HOUSE HABS No. (Page 2) PART II. ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION A. General Statement 1. Architectural character: A house with an interesting plan and ornamental details, especially in the double drawing room. 2. Condition of fabric: Very good throughout. B.

Technical Description of Exterior 1.Number of stories, bays, over-all dimensions, layout: Two-and-a-half stories over a basement? high; main part, 3x4 bays? rear ell, 2x2 bays; main part about 27' wide by 38! deep, ell about 18* x IB1; rectangular with ell at rear, in addition there is an L-shaped piazza, 10* wide, 2. Foundations: Brick. 3. Wall construction, finish, and color: Red brick laid In Flemish bond, about 18" in thickness. Walls under piazza are stuccoed. There are brick pilasters at the front corners. 4. Structural system: Brick exterior bearing walls, frame partitions and floor system. 5. Porches: There is a double-tiered wooden piazza of five bays along the south side, with an additional area of one bay at the west, forming an L in plan.

Each level has fluted Greek columns with full entablatures, and railings with turned balusters. Flooring of 3" matched boards, paneled ceiling. There are stairs to the ground at south and west, with balustrades. 6. Chimneys: Two chimneys west of the roof ridge in the main part; one at west end of ell. They are brick, each with two chimney pots. 7. Openings: a. Doorways and doors: The entrance is in the (north) corner bay of the facade; it has the form of a frontispiece with a semicircular-arched opening, with a pediment supported on foliated consoles which crown paneled pilaster strips ornamented with a guilloche band. There Is a small guilloche band on the face of the transom bar, and a glazed transom. The archlvolt carries an ornamental wooden keystone.

In the cornice is a dentil course WILLIAM PINCKNEY SHINGLER HOUSi HABS No. (Page 3) with acorn-shaped drops at the corners; there are modillions. The door is double, each half containing an arched glazed panel above, and a square panel v/ith a round insert below. Before the doorway is a marble stoop v/ith a railing of wrought and cast iron; it is approached from the south side by eight marble steps, b. Windows and shutters: Typically double-hung sash, six-over-six lights, v/ith sandstone sills and lintels whose tops are slightly pitched to an apex at the center. Glazed French doors open to the piazza. Windows of first story have three-paneled shutters, molded; at the second story are louvsred blinds. In the east gable is a double window with wood pilasters and entablature. 8. Roof: a.

Shape, covering: Gable roof, covered with slates. The piazza roof is flat. b. Cornice: There is a molded wooden cornice. c. Dormers: Four dormers on the south side, one being over the rear ell. They are enriched v/ith paneled pilasters and pediments. C. Technical Description of Interior 1. Floor plans; first floor: The main portion contains two identical rooms, one behind the other, v/ith piazza at the south and side. At the rear (west) is a single (dining) room in an ell whose north wall continues the north wall of the main portion. The piazza also extends along the rear (west) wall of the main portion to inter- sect the ell. The second floor layout is nearly identical, Ceiling heights: First floor about second floor about l^'-O". 2.

Stairways: A flight, straight nearly to the second floor, extends along the north wall; there are several winders near the top. There are 22 risers, open string, scroll brackets, molded handrail, large newel with turned and octagonal sections, and turned balusters. Treads are longleaf yellow pine, natural color. 3. Flooring: Longleaf yellow pine boards, varying from 3 to 6 in width, natural color. WILLIAM PINCKNEX SHINGLSR HOUSE MBS No. (Page 4) 4. "/all and ceiling finish: Typically plastered and painted with molded plaster cornices. Some second-floor rooms are papered. 5.' Doors; Typically 1 thick with six molded panels, and glased rectangular transoms above. 6. Decorative features and trim: Typical doors and windows have wooden architrave trim 10" wide on a plinth.

There is a molded base 14" high. Below window stools, wooden paneling extends to the base. The double drawing rooms are connected with a wide opening, 'with sliding doors; each room is about 17' square in plan, inside dimensions? and their treatment is the same. Plaster ceiling treatment: There is a large foliated pendant centerpiece set in a large rectangular panel, framed by a "beam" with acanthus-leaf cornice, then a recessed band, an egg-and-dart band and a plain band. Since the chimney-breasts project there is a plain space in the ceiling on either side. The room cornice has an acanthus-leaf band at the top, then plain moldings, an egg-and-dart band; below it is a frieze about 6" wide with relief ornament in a band, perhaps adapted from Moorish or Arabian motives.

The same centerpiece is found in the dining room; the same cornice is in the hall and the dining room. It is said that this ornamental plaster v/as not damaged in the earthquake of and has always been well maintained, without needing repairs, except for one section in the dining room over the chimney breast. Woodwork of opening between twin drawing rooms: This opening is treated symmetrically in a triple motif. At the center is a wide opening with sliding double doors, with a semi-elliptical archivolt above; at each side of this is fixed paneling in imitation of a door, with six molded panels. The archivolts over the side are based on a semi-elliptical curve, except that the outer spring lines are lower than the inner ones; the upper fixed panels have curved heads to agree.

Near the outer edge of the archivolt is a small cove, treated with penetrations (like an Italian Renaissance cove ceiling in miniature) bearing acorn pendants. The central archivolt has a central keystone and is "sup- ported" on foliated corbel capitals. Soffitts are fluted. Each sliding door has six molded panels. Drawing room mantels: These are of marble, with arched openings, cast-iron fire fronts, and stone hearths. The dining room mantel is of wood in Adam style. It was installed here to replace a marble mantel, broken in the earthquake of it comes from the Hugh Wilson house (grandfather of Dr. Wilson) and was installed recently, m WILLIAM PINCKNEY SHINGLER HOUSE HABS No. (Page 5) 7. Hardware: Mortise locks. Two cast-iron butts to each door. Wrought-iron bolts on the shutters. 8.

Lighting: There is an original Chechoslovakian glass chandelier in the front drawing room. 9. Heating: Originally heating was by means of a fireplace in each major room. D. Site 1. Orientation and general setting: The entrance from the street is on the east end; the piazza faces a large yard at the south. 2. Outbuildings: There is a modern service wing contiguous to the rear ell, the original service building having been demolished. There is a wooden frame garage at the southwest corner of the lot. 3. Landscaping and walks? enclosures: Along the street is a brick garden wall with brick pedestals, wooden balus- trade with turned balusters between pedestals, atop the brick part of the wall.

At the south end of the garden wall is a double gate of wrought iron, which was removed from the site but brought back with the aid of the Preservation Society of Charleston in recent years. It has a lattice band at the bottom, then a band of scrolls in symmetrical pairs, above which is a large medallion in each half, and a top crest of symmetrical scrolls, being higher at the center (meeting line of the two halves). There is an ornamental cast-iron fence im- mediately in front of the house, which is set back several feet from the sidewalk. At the south corner of the house is a small garden gate of light grillwork (heavy wire diagonally, with cast-iron ornaments applied). Prepared by Harley J. McKee, Architect National Park Service August