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58.5 Broad Street

The building at 58 ½ Broad St has a rich and interesting history.  The building was built in two stages, consuming both 56 and 58 Broad (No. 58 c 1798 and No. 56 c 1800), by attorney and politician John Geddes.  From 1869-1874, 58 Broad was the location of the Charleston branch of the Freedman’s Bank, a national bank for African Americans- and at the time, the only bank for African Americans in Charleston. The national bank failed in 1874, but the bones and structure of 58 Broad St remained.

 

Originally constructed using brick and heart pine lumber, the Seeley’s wanted to carry the history of the building into their renovation.

King & Society and Encore worked together to make this vision a reality.  Encore procured antique heart pine from different areas, including old joists from a deconstructed 1860’s home on Sullivan’s Island to mill the floating stair treads and the lumber to mill the floors came from a downtown Greenville, SC deconstruction, built c. 1840’s.  Using the antique reclaimed lumber, all milled locally, and the original Charleston brick in this renovation ensured that the local historical integrity of the building was preserved.