Presqui'ile

Presqu'ile, or Presqui'ile, (pronounced Preesk-eel), the French term for "peninsula", was an appropriate name for the house built at 2 Amherst St., Charleston, South Carolina between 1802 and 1808 because, at the time, the house stood on a finger of high ground that projected into the marshes of the Cooper River.[2] The builder, Jacob Belser, was a planter, attorney, and state senator (1812–15).[3] Subsequent owners included Theodore S. Marion, Joshua T. Ward, Maj. Samuel Porcher (the likely builder of Numertia Plantation), Henry Grimke, Joseph Leary, and C.F. Klenke. Then, in 1951, it was bought by the Baptist Association.[4]

Presqui'ile
Location2 Amherst St., Charleston, South Carolina
Coordinates32°47′43.5″N 79°55′59.9″W
Arealess than one acre
Built1802
ArchitectUnknown
Architectural styleEarly Republic, Other
NRHP reference No.78002503[1]
Added to NRHPDecember 8, 1978

It has been speculated that the house was designed by Gabriel Manigault. The interior has fine Adamesque decorations of carved wood and a spiral staircase. There is a single room on each of the first floors and two on the third, in the main, older portion of the house. The stair is set in a semicircular bay on the rear.[4]

A square, three-story rear wing in the Greek Revival style was added by Henry Grimke, a planter who acquired the house in 1840.[3]

In 1962, the Baptist Association announced that the house would be sold so that the operation of their operations could be relocated nearer their users.[4] The house was bought by Arthur Ravenel, Jr. & Co. from the Historic Charleston Foundation in early 1973 for $25,000[5] and restored starting in 1973.[6][7] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.[1][8]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "Presqu'ile, Charleston County (2 Amherst St., Charleston)". National Register Properties in South Carolina. South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  3. Robert P. Stockton, Information for Guides of Historic Charleston, South Carolina 72 (1985).
  4. "Baptists Seek Buyer For Grimke House". Charleston News & Courier. May 9, 1962. pp. B1. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
  5. Leland, Jack (February 14, 1973). "Two Old Dwellings Saved". Evening Post. Charleston, South Carolina. pp. B1. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  6. "Amherst St. House Being Restored". Evening Post. Charleston, South Carolina. October 20, 1973. pp. 1B. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  7. Stockton, Robert (Oct 18, 1973). "Adam-Style Building To Undergo Restoration". Charleston News & Courier. pp. 8B. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
  8. "Presqu'ile, Charleston County (2 Amherst St., Charleston)". National Register Properties in South Carolina listing. South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Retrieved 2008-03-18.


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