Designer-owned Historic District: Elegant 1860 Building, entire first floor
About the property
- Condo1400 sqft
- Bedrooms1
- Sleeps3
- Bathrooms1
- Half Baths0
- Minimum Stay3 - 7 nights
1 Bedroom, 1 Bathroom, 1400 Square Feet Includes Full Porch (Piazza)
A classic apartment in the heart of the historic district in this charming city, you will have the entire first floor of an 1860 Greek Revival single house with 12-foot ceilings, original Heart Pine Floors, crown molding, ceiling medallions, three fireplaces and four shuttered French doors onto the piazza (Charleston for “porch”.) We will be forever grateful that previous owners had the foresight to keep the home in this beautiful condition while adding all the necessities for modern living.
The floor plan includes lovely large rooms with a living room, a bedroom, and a large eat-in kitchen fully stocked for a cook. The pied-a-terre sleeps two on a queen bed. We provide beautiful linen and cotton sheets and feather pillows. The home is furnished simply with high-end antiques, original art, exquisite natural fabrics and antique rugs.
The private porch spanning the length of the building is spectacular with both a table for dining and lounge seating under the ceiling fans for having a drink or gazing at the stars and adds almost 400 sf to the 1000 sf living space. In a city where parking can be a problem and parking tickets an expensive proposition, you will have access to our private parking spot inside the locked gate. There is also a private laundry room on the main floor.
The apartment is on a residential street off the beaten path of tourists. It is a short two blocks to King Street, with the best shopping and restaurants the city has to offer. You can also walk to The Battery, the farmer’s market, the grocery, the local deli, liquor store, the meat and fish markets, coffee shops and an elegant French pastry and chocolate shop. Quick access to the Ravenel Bridge allows for an easy trip to Sullivan’s Island and the beaches.
This is our own home and one that expresses our love of the history, architecture and the lifestyle of Charleston. We want you to live like a local! It is important that you know that this historic home has been lovingly divided into 4 condos. Only three people live on the property full time - there are no children or animals living on the property. Our immediate neighbors are young to middle aged professionals and you will likely see and hear them come and go while you visit. We want to be sure our guests are comfortable with a multi-family housing setting. This is a non-smoking unit, no pets are allowed, and minimum age of 30 policy. No parties or venue events are allowed. We ask for a damage deposit from all clients and require the purchase of rental insurance.
Please feel free to contact us with any questions.
Owner
Lee D. Stevens, Ph.D.
- Response rate:
- 100%
- Response time:
- within a few hours
- Speaks:
- english
- Calendar last updated:
- Apr 21, 2018
About Lee D. Stevens, Ph.D.
This photo was NOT taken in Charleston. It is our holiday card from 2016, but includes all three current family members including Bruno, our pup. We (Lee and Alecia) met in 1992 in Minneapolis, Minnesota , married in 1996 and raised our blended family there. We have grown (happy and employed!) children who live in other great places in the country - New York, Boulder and Eugene, Oregon. Lee spent most of his life as a Waldorf teacher in Chicago, Minneapolis, L.A. and New York City and earned his Ph.D. in Depth Psychology in 2011. In Charleston, we learned that there was no Waldorf school - the only state on the Eastern seaboard - so we set about to start one. Our little school, The Acorn School of Charleston, is in its second year with a class of 15 Mixed-Age Kindergarten students and a star Waldorf Kindergarten teacher who joined us from 25 years in Massachusetts. Lee is the Director of the School. I (Alecia) am an interior designer and writer with a background in fashion and costume design. I work with my clients all over the country now - from a beach house on the Oregon coast to an Edwardian home in San Francisco to a ski home in Aspen and a townhouse in Manhatten on the Upper East Side, which is to be featured in Veranda magazine in Jan-Feb 2018. I love my work and my clients. This summer we purchased a 1940 beach cottage on Folly Beach, about 25 minutes from our home in Charleston. It's the best of both worlds for us. When we aren't fixing up a home, we love to travel - especially to Florence, Italy.
Lee D. Stevens, Ph.D. purchased this Condo in 2014
Why Lee D. Stevens, Ph.D. chose Ansonborough
I (Alecia) lived in Charleston from 1978 to 1985 and I often wondered why I left. In the spring of 2014 while visiting Charleston with my husband for probably the 10th time in 20 years, Lee and I began to look at real estate. In a bit of a real estate feeding frenzy, we found 14 Elizabeth after seeing 6-7 completely undesirable places and knew immediately, the minute we walked in, that this was the place for us.The unit had only been on the market for four days, but unfortunately, someone had made an offer on it a day before and it was accepted. But, determined to make an effort, we made a back up offer, which was also accepted. And five weeks later we learned that we had move to the position of primary buyer for reasons still unknown to us! I was delirious with joy. The elegant bones of the original home had been preserved, probably because the family that owned the home for 100 years didn't have enough money to "ruin it." That has been our great blessing and have retained that original character and beauty. I set about designing the home as I would for a client (with a slightly more modest budget!) doing floor and furniture plans, and shopping for the antiques and rugs and accessories I would want for this home – a home we both feel privileged to own. I have loved history and antiques and “old things” with the patina of age since I was a child, so this is a dream long in the making for me. It is a dream to share it with our family and friends, including renters. Why Charleston? The weather. The food. The slow pace of life. The architecture.
What makes this Condo unique
Location! Charleston is a walking city and every walk to a restaurant or to the shops is a historical adventure. The architecture, a peek into the garden gates, fragrant jasmine spilling over stucco walls, Each walk brings a new appreciation of how Charleston has taken such care in preserving its historical charm. Specifically our home is unique in how it has maintained so much original 1860 architecture, including Southern heart pine floors, three marble fire places (2 of them from the later 19th C), plaster crown molding and ceiling medallions, twelve foot ceilings, four French doors onto a piazza (porch) that span the length of the building. On an extremely practical note, we provide private off street parking for one vehicle. The entire property is secured behind a locked gate.
Amenities
- Internet
- Air Conditioning
- Heater
- Fireplace
- Satellite or Cable
- Washer & Dryer
- Parking
- TV
- No Smoking
Bedrooms
- 1 Bedrooms, Sleeps 3
- Bedroom 11 queen
- lovely 19 x 19 bedroom with 12-foot ceilings and fireplace. Please note, the fireplace is non-working here.
Bathrooms
- 1 Bathroom
- Bathroom 1toilet, combination tub/shower, tub, shower
- Nicely sized bathroom with shower / tub combination, soaps and shampoo, hair dryer and curling iron and a basket of standard sundries like bandaids, bug spray, sunscreen, hairspray, etc.
Location Type
- DowntownWe are within walking distance of the Battery and all of the best restaurants and shopping in Charleston. 2 blocks from KIng Street - the main shopping district.
- Near The OceanYes! See our other property--VRBO #1049379
- Ocean ViewWe are 20 minutes from Sullivan's Island, a historic old beach community. Great restaurants (Poe's and Obstinate Daughter), public beach access and great vintage beach architecture.
Theme
- Historic
- Romantic
- Spa
- Sports & Activities
- Tourist Attractions
Meals
- Guests provide their own meals
General
- Iron & Board
- Air ConditioningCentral AC works beautifully and very quiet
- FireplaceThe fireplaces are non-working, but two of the have large beeswax candles in them. The wood burning fireplace in kitchen is also non-functioning at this time - but beautiful to look at in black marble
- Hair Dryer
- Heating
- InternetVery good wifi signal throughout apartment on on porch. We also have a printer in the apartment, which can be fussy - generally unplugging it, then plugging back in solves the problem.
- Clothes DryerDries on the fast and hotter so I prefer the lower setting.
- Linens ProvidedRestoration Hardware 464 thread count cotton sheets with 4 feather pillows. Cotton blanket and light down blanket on bed. 2 extra Tempurpedic pillows .
- Living RoomTwo comfy loveseats - with easy access to nicely sized new TV, Apple TV and cable. There is a casual coffee table - put your feet up! Good lighting for reading and two great vintage leather wingbacks.
- ParkingPrivate, behind gate - just at the back door to the apartment. Very convenient for loading and unloading.
- TelephoneNo phone on property.
- Towels ProvidedPlenty of all cotton towels. Washcloths and linen hand towels.
- Washing MachineWorks well. Lift the door slightly to shut. On the same floor as apartment - just in the hallway. No stairs required.
Kitchen
- Coffee MakerItalian Stovetop Expresso pot or Keurig - with coffee.
- Dishes & UtensilsDishes and utensils for 8 +. All white. Set of Restoration Hardware linen tablecloth and napkins in Linen Press in Living Room.
- Dishwasher
- KitchenGas range. Good Wustoff knives. Large and open easily accommodates two cooks. Large marble work table with stools for six.
- Microwave
- Oven
- Pantry Items
- Refrigerator
- StoveGas.
- ToasterDualit - 2 slice.
Dining
- DiningBest dining is on the porch - but there is also large work table in the kitchen with stools for casual dining.
- Dining Area
- comfy seating for 6 people
Entertainment
- BooksSome Southern writers, interior design books, good cookbooks and a few random topics to be found.
- Music Library
- Satellite / CableApple TV
- StereoBose wireless speaker (great!) provided and 2 mini-booms which are touchy. You may be able to run your music through the TV, too.
- Television142 channel digital HDTV with 42' LG screen. Apple TV included.
Outside
- Deck / Patio40 foot porch ("piazza") with 2 ceiling fans.
- GolfCharleston is a golf paradise. There are public courses 10 minutes away, and it is only 30 minutes to The Ocean Course at Kiawah and both championship course on Seabrook Island.
- Outdoor GrillClassic charcoal grill with good tools and gloves. Use only on the brick driveway off the back of the porch for grilling.
Suitability
- not suitable for children
- wheelchair inaccessible
Attractions
- churches
- cinemas
- festivals
- health/beauty spa
- library
- live theater
- marina
- museums
- restaurants
Leisure Activities
- photography
- antiquing
- bird watching
- boating
- horseback riding
- paddle boating
- beachcombing
- scenic drives
- shelling
- shopping
- sight seeing
- walking
- wildlife viewing
Local Services & Businesses
- ATM/bank
- groceries
- hospital
- massage therapist
- medical services
Sports & Adventure Activities
- pier fishing
- cycling
- equestrian events
- fishing
- golf
- kayaking
- deepsea fishing
- sailing
- skiing
- swimming
- tennis
- wind-surfing
Notes
- Dewberry Hotel is a block away and offers a beautifully-designed full service spa.
House Rules
Check-in: 3:00 PM
Check-out: 11:00 AM
Cancellation Policy
100% refund if canceled at least 30 days before arrival date. 50% refund if canceled at least 14 days before arrival date. You must contact the owner directly to request cancellation.
33 Reviews
Latest reviews
Beautiful and perfect in every way
Lived like a Charlestonian for a week!
PERFECT
And, of course, how lucky we are that you are the perfect guests. So happy to at least say hello this year. Next year....drinks on the piazza! Safe travels home.
Lee and Alecia
Fabulous
Jane,
We so appreciate this thoughtful review. But mostly, we love knowing how much you enjoyed yourself both in Charleston and in our home. Next time, let's meet on the piazza for coffee or a drink! Warmest regards, Alecia and Lee
Perfect place in a perfect location!
Elegant stay in a non-touristy neighborhood
Thanks for the thoughtful review! Really appreciate how you point out that it feels like you could "live" here. We certainly try to make it special enough to feel like you are a bit pampered by the interiors, but want our guests to be supremely comfortable and at home. Thanks again - we hope you'll return!
Location
In the heart of the Historic District. Walking distance to shops restaurants tourist attractions. Free private off-street parking!
Rates & Availability
Additional information about rental rates
We will grant a full refund up to 30 days prior to scheduled arrival. Any payments are forfeited within 29 days of scheduled arrival.