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| Pink House, Chalmers St., Charleston, S.C. |
Okay, I'll say it out loud - we all want to take pictures of the little pink house on Chalmers St. and we want YOU to quit parking your car in front of it. The last thing I'd like Mayor Riley to rule on before and if he leaves the Mayor's office after his record breaking forty year term would be to put up a "No Parking" sign in front of the quaint cottage. I wouldn't even mind a sign restricting parking to vintage or cute car parking that would be an asset to a photo.
The distinctive little pink building at 17 Chalmers Street is said to be the oldest standing tavern building in the South. Built within the walled city of Charles Towne in the mid 1690s by John Breton, this oldest stone house in the city was constructed of 'Bermuda stone'. The West Indian coral stone had a natural pink cast, so the building was known as the Pink House from the beginning. Tradition holds that the Bermuda stone was brought in ships as ballast, as the cobblestones on Chalmers Street were, but it is more likely that it was cut in Bermuda and imported as a building material. The stone is soft enough to be cut into blocks and then when exposed to weather, it gradually hardens and becomes stronger. Its elasticity was proved in the great earthquake on 1886 when nearby brick structures suffered damage. The tiled roof is original terra cotta tile of an ancient vintage. The curved shape of the tiles was said to be formed over the workmen's thighs. The Pink House also was one of the few buildings in Charleston to survive 1989's Hurricane Hugo virutally unscathed.
In the building's early days, as a 'groggerie' and coffee house for sailors visiting the port from all over the world, this area was a red light district called Mulatto Alley and the street was lined with many small houses, most of which were bordellos. The Pink House was not a fashionable bistro for Charleston gentry, but rather a simple tavern, where the seamen found their 'three Ws'......whiskey, wenches, and wittles. Around 1800 the area was cleaned up after many citizens petitioned the City Council. Thomas Elfe, the famous furniture maker, wrote a letter complaining about the noisy parties at night.
12 comments:
Back at the Groggorie, when the wittles were served, nobody took a picture for their blog. We've come a long way!
I think it just sold for about $800,000 so we have come a long way!
It is a pretty building!
It is a sweetie and it is on a cobble stone street. It was an art gallery. Not sure what it will be now.
Could not a bold and intrepid photographer handle a spray gun and make that car pink, to match the house?
Brilliant idea! I work across the street from Lowes and a variety of paint can colors!
No signs in front of it, Joan. That would cheapen the look more. Beautiful house.
Call me crazy, but I think the soft retro shade of that little car perfectly accents the color of the house, and adds nice balance to the photo. If it was some hulking piece of junk, or a garbage truck, I can see wishing it gone, but this little motor is cute!
You are correct. Signs can be just as much of a problem. There must be a way....
This was the least objectionable vehicle there in recent visits. There was one right behind it I had to crop around carefully. I go back and forth about people and cars in pictures because they do help date a photo.
Did you say your mayor has served for forty years? That is astonishing. No hand caught in the cookie jar? No sudden trips "on the Appalachian trail"? Love your pink building, but your mayor seems even more dazzling.
It is true! He is extraordinary. Al Jazeera American just a documentary on him which can be found here:
http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/america-tonight/america-tonight-blog/2014/7/21/america-s-favoritemayoreyeshislegacy.html
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