Archive Record
| Object Type | Property File |
| Title | 321 East Bay Street (Blake-Grimke House) |
| Scope & Content |
Constructed ca. 1789; north wing added ca. 1850; renovated 1960s. The only 18th-century double house surviving in the Ansonborough area, this large weatherboarded dwelling was probably built before 1789 by William Blake, descendant of a proprietary governor and a wealthy planter and slave owner in his own right. A late 18th-century plat of the site shows the front and rear staircases much as they are today, as well as a missing front forecourt (like that of the Miles Brewton House) and the now-vanished rear outbuildings. Several important residents have occupied this house. Rented for a time by the widow of a Declaration of Independence signer Arthur Middleton, it was sold to Judge John Faucheraud Grimké and utilized by his large family, including his daughters Sarah and Angelina Grimké, later famous as abolitionists and pioneers of women's rights. Purchased by Charles O. Witte in 1862, it served as his residence until his wealth and prominence as a leading entrepreneur and German consul permitted his acquisition of the grander Patrick Duncan Villa at 172 Rutledge Avenue. Witte, or his predecessor in title, William Martin, added the Victorian style north wing with bay windows. The house's other Victorian additions, except the cast-iron stair, were removed in 1965. (Poston, Buildings of Charleston.) Three files contain documentation of the covenant on the property; correspondence related to the covenant including "right-of-first-refusal" letters; annual inspection reports; requests for alterations; correspondence and other documentation related to the management of the property; historical/chain-of-title research information; various house histories (HCF, Vernacular Architecture of Charleston, Architectural Guide to Charleston, Information for Guides of Historic Charleston); newspaper articles (including 1941, 1968 DYKYC); Rosen and Associates inspection reports (1997, 2000); city directory research establishing dates occupancy of John F. Grimke and family (see Notes); Carologue Magazine article "The Grimke Family Home" (Louise Knight, 2015); documentation of HCF's purchase, rehabilitation, and rental of the property. See Covenant/Easement Inspection Photo Files for inspection photography. |
| Subjects | Historic buildings--South Carolina--Charleston |
| Search Terms |
East Bay Street Ansonborough Covenant Property |
| Physical Description |
1 Covenant Folder 1 Management Folder 1 History/Miscellaneous Folder |
| Related Records | Show Related Records... |
| Object ID # | EBAY.321.1 |