51 Meeting Street
Charleston, SC 29401
Voice: 843-724-8481
Web Site: www.historiccharleston.org

For nearly two centuries, visitors have admired the grand Federal style townhouse of Charleston merchant Nathaniel Russell, completed in 1808. Set amid spacious gardens, the Russell House is widely recognized as one of America's most important neoclassical dwellings. The graceful interior with elaborate plasterwork ornamentation, geometrically shaped rooms and a magnificent free flying staircase are among the most exuberant ever created in early America.

Furnished with period antiques and works of art, many of Charleston origin, the house evokes the gracious lifestyle of the city's merchant elite during the opening of the 19th century.

Today the Nathaniel Russell House interprets the lives of the Russell family, as well as the African American slaves and artisans who were responsible for maintaining one of the South's grandest antebellum townhouses. Discoveries made during a grand scale restoration begun in 1999 have resulted in the rich colors and decorative finishes emblematic of high style in Charleston's Golden Age.

KAT'S VIEW