Consult modern sources on Charleston history and architecture, and you'll often find Ansonborough described as Charles Towne's "first suburb." The descriptor is tongue-in-cheek, of course, as any visitor to Ansonborugh can see that the neighborhood is hardly on the outskirts of modern Charleston. A stone's throw from the bustling City Market and the King Street shopping district, the residential enclave of Ansonborough is about as close to the action as you can get, with most of what downtown has to offer within a ten to fifteen minute walk from home. And this proximity to the activity is a large part of what makes Ansonborough one of Charleston's most coveted residential neighborhoods. 

The Col. William Rhett House at 54 Hasell Street is one of Charleston's oldest homes, built circa 1712-1720. Learn more about this home from the Preservation Society of Charleston.

While Ansonborough's original structures were built in the early 18th century (like the Col. William Rhett House pictured above), a keen observer will notice that the majority of the neighborhood's homes date to the 1840's and 50's. The Great Fire of 1838 wiped out many of the neighborhood's homes, particularly in the southern end of modern-day Ansonborough. Homes were rebuilt in the following decades using loans from the Bank of the State of South Carolina with the condition that they were constructed using fire retardant materials (e.g., brick and stucco). 

The Mary H. Lanneau House at 34 Anson Street was constructed in 1848 using fashionable Philadelphia red brick, not common in Charleston at the time.

By the 1950's, the neighborhood had fallen into disrepair. In 1958, the Historic Charleston Foundation launched a large-scale preservation initiative known as the Ansonborough Rehabilitation Project. Through the 1960's, the Foundation utilized a revolving fund to finance the rehabilitation of 60+ homes in the neighborhood, re-establishing Ansonborough as the desirable residential neighborhood it is today. Ansonborough homes that were preserved though this project are marked with special plaques, like the one pictured above on the Mary H. Lanneau House. 

Neighboring homes with varying brick bonding patterns on Wentworth Street in Ansonborough.

Decorative gray-blue shutters on a pale pink wall on Anson Street.

Elaborate iron work on Hasell Street.

A sweet window box on Society Street. Notice the HCF Ansonborough Rehabilitation Project plaque to the left of the window--you'll see these on homes throughout the neighborhood.