Distinctive Architecture

This pink house on the Battery has some interesting architecture. It was built by the Ravenel family in 1847 and remained in their ownership until 1953. I'm pretty sure this is the same family who gave their name to the ultramodern bridge highlighted in an earlier post. The piazza (balcony) was part of the original house...from what I've read the piazza became popular in the 1820s and they were added to many prerevolutionary homes in that time frame. This house was severely damaged in the 1886 earthquake, and when it was repaired it was also renovated with Victorian features such as the overhanging wood trim at the top, which San Francisco street hikers will recognize as a classic Italianate feature in many homes that survived the 1906 earthquake and fire there. Like that disaster, the 1886 earthquake was a milestone in Charleston; homes that survived and were renovated have earthquake bolts and newer places do not. The place I stayed in last night had bolts.