What is the Oldest Building in Charleston?

In a city full of history, which building could be the oldest?

Charleston’s architecture and buildings are as iconic and timeless as the city’s history itself. Each one of the buildings you pass while strolling the streets of Charleston tell an integral part of the city’s past. At every street corner, there seems to be a building that is older than the United States itself. But this begs the question, what is actually the oldest building in Charleston?

The question has been a slight matter of contention in the past. As historical documents of the prerevolution times were not quite the best, or the most accurate. But as the years have gone by, there seems to be a universal answer to this question. Many historians and architecture enthusiasts believe the oldest building in Charleston is the Pink House on Chalmers Street. This tiny, unsuspecting, three-ish story building doesn’t seem like it's been standing for more than 300 years, but it certainly has. 

Built sometime between 1694 and 1712, the Pink House has quite literally stood the test of time. The house is known for its iconic pink stucco walls and clay tiled roof. The Pink House has three unusual stories, as each one is just one room. Originally, the property was used as a tavern for swashbuckling sailors and pirates who frequented the streets of the downtown Charleston of yore. The cramped Pink House used to be packed full of salty Ne'er-do-wells in search of women and rum. Though, over time, the Pink House lost its sketchy clientele, and has been used for a variety of things. 

The Pink House is now a private residence closed to the public. Though before this, it had found use as a law office and various art studios. The variety of uses this building has had is a great representation of the long and storied history of the city of Charleston. As the city has aged and developed, so too has the Pink House. The building, having stood for over 300 years, has made it through countless hurricanes, major earthquakes, fires, and several war related occupations. Many, many buildings fell during this time, but not the Pink House, it still stands, just as the city itself does.

Owen Antley