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Archive Record


Object Type Property File
Title 180 Broad Street (Cooper-O'Connor House)
Scope & Content Constructed ca. 1855. A 2-story portico with Temple of the Winds capitals ornaments the front of this 3-story wooden house constructed in the Greek Revival style at the former western end of Broad Street (before later filling) near Colonial Lake, then popularly known as "the pond." George Washington Cooper acquired the property from a trustee of the estate of Louis Trapman, who had received the site through his marriage to Mary Bowen Moore. A lengthy lawsuit resulted in the sale of this and other properties for distribution to the four heirs, including the Baroness de Lengenuil of Canada. After Cooper's financial reversals, Michael P. O'Connor bought the lot with its "mansion house and outbuildings" from the Bank of South Carolina in 1859. This block survived the fire of 1861, and the house was used by the Confederacy as a prison for Union officers. Five generals were imprisoned here prior to the fall of the city in February 1865. After the war George Cunningham, a butcher by trade who rose to be mayor of Charleston, purchased this property.

File contains newspaper articles (including 2016 Mercury) and various captioned newspaper/book photographs; brief historical background of Michael P. O'Connor, who lived in this house; house history from City of Charleston Tour Guide Training Manual (2011).
Subjects Historic buildings--South Carolina--Charleston
Search Terms Broad Street
Physical Description 1 File Folder
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Object ID # BROAD.180.001