It took a trip to Charleston, South Carolina to learn a whole new lexicon when it comes to houses. “Earthquake bolts,” “piazzas,” “single houses,” and a popular shade known as “haint blue,” are about as common in Charleston real estate parlance as condos and semi-detached homes are in Canada.
Quirky though they may be, the pastel-coloured homes are a big part of the city’s charm. Located on streets lined with oak trees, many homes have well-tended gardens, elaborate wrought-iron gates and gas lamps that are lit 24/7, providing an atmospheric ambiance in the evening.
To say they are highly desirable, look no further than Broad Street, which guide Stephen Rosling of the Old South Carriage Company described as the socio-economic dividing line between “the haves” and “the-have-a-whole-lot-mores.”
But it’s the unusual features of the homes that garner curiosity from first-time visitors and the reason that local guides incorporate them into their tours whether on foot, by bus or horse-drawn carriage. Three features in particular are often noted:
The single house
A “single house” in Charleston (Photos by Diane Slawych).
Their architectural styles may be anything from Georgian to Greek Revival but what defines a single house is that it sits sideways on a lot and is characterized by beautiful long covered verandahs, which are referred to as piazzas. The single house, so named because it is a single room wide on the street side (there is also a double house which is two rooms wide), dates back to 1680s and the founding of the City of Charles Town, as it was then known.
Situating the home lengthwise had a few advantages: the number of lots with street frontage could be maximized and the piazzas, which were always built on the south or west sides, offered protection from the late afternoon sun and allowed occupants to take advantage of southerly breezes.
Instead of a backyard they have a side yard. The door that faces the street was historically called a privacy door and leads to the piazza. The actual front entrance is along the side.
“If you wanted to show someone you were welcoming guests, sit out on your piazza, open the privacy door,” says Rosling. “That’s a sign of wealth. Come on, I’d love to share a drink with you, talk about the issues of the day.” However, if the privacy door was closed, he added, you don’t go in and you don’t peek your head around the corner out of respect.
Piazzas and haint blue
Some of the ceilings of the piazzas are painted in a colour called haint blue, a tradition originating with the local Gullah people, descendents of slaves who believed the colour would prevent ghosts from entering the house. Today it has more of a practical purpose. “We’re now finding that birds, wasps and spiders will not nest in something that is painted that colour,” says guide Bill Stanton of Lowcountry Walking Tours.
Earthquake bolts
Earthquake bolts, shaped as stars, on the exterior of a home in Charleston.
Another unusual feature of many of Charleston’s historic homes is the earthquake bolts. The powerful quake of 1886 damaged about 2,000 buildings and repairs included retrofitting homes with long iron rods that run through the interior and are cranked regularly to straighten walls and correct other structural damage (accomplishing for houses what braces do for teeth).
The rod is capped at both ends by a gib plate, which appears on the exterior of the home. Some resemble a circular disc, an S, or an X, while others are disguised with a decorative element such as a lion’s head.
“If the structure has earthquake bolts it’s from 1886 or older, 99 per cent of the time,” says Rosling. “One per cent of the time you get people with newer structures who want you to think their building is more historic than it really is. They put fake earthquake bolts on their building.”
Amusingly, one of the few structures with those fake bolts happens to be the office of the Old South Carriage Company – Rosling’s employer!
Diane Slawych is a contributing writer for REM.
