James Nicholson House (Charleston, South Carolina)

James Nicholson House
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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Location	172 Rutledge Ave., Charleston, South Carolina
Coordinates	32°47′12″N 79°56′44″W / 32.78667°N 79.94556°W / 32.78667; -79.94556Coordinates: 32°47′12″N 79°56′44″W / 32.78667°N 79.94556°W / 32.78667; -79.94556
Built	c. 1816
Architect	possibly William Jay
Architectural style	Regency
NRHP Reference #	74001832[1]
Added to NRHP	Aug. 30, 1974

The James Nicholson House is a notable early 19th-century residence in Charleston, South Carolina which has housed the Ashley Hall school since 1909.^[2] The house was built ca. 1816 for Patrick Duncan. The architect for the house is not known, but authorities cite William Jay as its possible designer; he worked in Charleston and Savannah between 1817 and 1822.^[3] James Nicholson owned the property from 1829 to 1838 when James R. Pringle bought it; after Pringle's death, his family sold it in 1845 Secretary of the Confederate Treasury George Trenholm. From 1877 to 1909, it was the home of Charles Otto Witte's family.

This photograph from about 1876 shows a rooftop deck that no longer exists.

The Classical Revival building is stuccoed brick. The main two floors are above a high, rusticated basement. The portico is supported by four giant-order Ionic columns with Renaissance capitals. The pediment has a three-part Gothic window. Originally open (as seen in the 1876 photograph to the left), the arches of the basement have been enclosed with windows.

The house was listed in the National Register August 30, 1974.^[4]

References

1. ↑ National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 
2. ↑ "To Open School for Girls". Charleston News & Courier. March 20, 1909. p. 3. Retrieved Nov 27, 2012. 
3. ↑ Elsa F. McDowell (Sep 17, 1984). "Ashley Hall's McBee House Displays Regency-Style Detail". Charleston News & Courier. p. 2B. Retrieved Nov 26, 2012. 
4. ↑ "National Register Properties in South Carolina". James Nicholson House, Charleston County (172 Rutledge Ave., Charleston). South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Retrieved Nov 27, 2012. 

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