Featured Listing: 44 South Battery

South of Broad real estate combines history, luxury, and charm in a neighborhood that in many ways defines Charleston architecture. So named because the neighborhood is located south of Broad Street, South of Broad covers the tip of the Charleston peninsula. This primarily residential neighborhood is made up tree-lined streets crowned with the most prestigious homes in Charleston.

While homes in this most affluent part of town date back to the early 1700s, South of Broad architecture covers a wide variety of styles including Georgian, Greek Revival, and Victorian. Luxury buyers will see grand mansions, row houses, and details such as two-story porches, private gardens, columns, and wrought-iron gates and fences.

South of Broad Neighborhood Highlights

South of Broad claims some of Charleston’s most famous homes. One of the most notable is the Sword Gate House at 32 Legare Street, built circa 1790–1803 in the Federal style and named for the spectacularly crafted iron gates that date to 1849.

Sword Gate was originally built by the great-granddaughter of Solomon Legare, the man for whom Legare Street is named. The property was once owned by Abraham Lincoln’s granddaughter. Handsome Properties represented the seller when the property was sold in 2020.

Another prominent South of Broad home is the Calhoun Mansion. At 24,0000 square feet, this Victorian-era home built in the Italianate manor style is the largest single-family residence in Charleston.

Purchased by a Charleston native who spent 25 years and $5 million to restore it, the Calhoun Mansion is a private home open to the public for viewing. Due to the ongoing COVD-19 epidemic, the mansion has been closed to visitors. You can take a photo tour on their website.

South of Broad is also the home of St. Michael’s Church, the oldest religious structure in Charleston. Built in the early 1750s, the church began services in 1761. Distinguished by its 186-foot steeple, St. Michaels is one of the most well-known landmarks in the city and remains an active Episcopalian parish.

Learn more about South of Broad in our neighborhood overview.

Browse homes for sale in South of Broad.

Featured Listing: 44 South Battery

Our featured South of Broad exclusive listing is 44 South Battery. This three-story mansion with an attached kitchen house was built circa 1835 by sisters Anne and Catherine Johnston and later bought by General Benjamin Huger Rutledge after the Civil War.

Completely renovated, the home retains original historic details including 10 fireplaces, original heart pine flooring, and original moldings and ceiling medallions. Extraordinarily beautiful marble is abundantly distributed throughout the kitchens, bathrooms, and even the laundry room.

The main house offers 4 bedrooms, 4 full baths, 2 half baths, and water views from the top two floors. The kitchen house comes with 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths. Walkthrough windows in the formal living and dining room open to a grand piazza at the front of the main house.

An elevator and front and rear staircase lead to the master suite appointed with a gas fireplace, double closets, and a master bath with double vanity, clawfoot tub, oversized shower, and a fireplace.

The kitchen house includes a grandfathered bed-and-breakfast license that allows for nightly rentals. With 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths, it can be used as a guest house, a long-term rental, an extension of the main house, or continue to be legally rented on a nightly basis.

With a home renovation designed by Glenn Keyes and a garden designed by Sheila Wertimer, this magnificent property has gone from historic to historically beautiful.