Nathaniel Russell House
Encyclopedia
The Nathaniel Russell House is a historic house located in downtown Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...

, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...

 near High Battery. It belonged to Nathaniel Russell, a Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...

 merchant, who spent $80,000 on this Adamesque
Adam style
The Adam style is an 18th century neoclassical style of interior design and architecture, as practiced by the three Adam brothers from Scotland; of whom Robert Adam and James Adam were the most widely known.The Adam brothers were the first to advocate an integrated style for architecture and...

 building before 1809. He and his wife, Sarah Russell, lived in the house during the early 19th century. It was sold to the state in 1955 by the Pelzer family, and today is used by the Historic Charleston Foundation as offices and also for tours. It is currently a museum open for tours.

The house is widely recognized as one of America's most important Neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...

 houses and features three important geometric designs: a front rectangular room, a center oval room, and a square room in the rear. Other rooms of the house include: the turquoise-color First-Floor Oval Dining Room; the Second-Floor Drawing Room, where the women of the house retired to after dinner; and the Withdrawing Room.

It was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...

 in 1973.

An interesting fact is that the house has an elliptical spiral staircase
Stairway
Stairway, staircase, stairwell, flight of stairs, or simply stairs are names for a construction designed to bridge a large vertical distance by dividing it into smaller vertical distances, called steps...

, which ascends three floors. In addition, iron balconies surround the house, however not being interconnected. The house also has a large adjoining garden. Standing in the front garden, a green lawn can be seen behind which stands an arbor bench.

The Adamesque ornamentation of the fireplaces' mantles and cornices are among the most detailed in the city. Much of the art displayed throughout the Nathaniel Russell House are of Charleston origin.

According to the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, the "interior detail has all the delicacy and intricate ambition of the American version of the Adam manner."

External links

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