94 Rutledge Avenue - Isaac Jenkins Mikell House

 

94 Rutledge Avenue is one of the truly grand houses in Charleston. Built in 1853 by Isaac Jenkins Mikell for his third of four wives, this house is the epitome of a planter's town house. Mikell was a wealthy planter of sea island cotton on Edisto, and I've heard local author Richard Porcher say that there was no finer cotton in the world than the sea island cotton grown on Edisto Island before the Civil War.

Mikell's third wife was Mary Martha Pope, and he referred to her as "the love of his life." Nothing was too fine for her, and 94 Rutledge bears obvious witness to that. There are six columns on the south side portico, but what really draws attention are the capitals of those columns. They are composite capitals with two rows of acanthus leaves leading up to the top row of rams' heads, and each is hand-carved cypress.

The imposing portico, columns, and capitals of 94 Rutledge command attention; the style is reminiscent of an Italian villa. Following the Civil War, land values were severely diminished, and Mikell sold his town house in 1866. In 1935, 94 Rutledge became the Charleston County Library until 1960, after which the house became a private residence again. At that time, 94 Rutledge was totally restored with protective easements given to the Historic Charleston Foundation. Since then, the house has passed through several different owners. It remains a private residence today.

This property around Rutledge and Ashley Avenues became a popular area for planters from the sea islands close to Charleston to build their townhouses. In fact, Mikell's cousin from Edisto Island, planter Thomas Bannister Seabrook, was an owner of the house across the street at 95 Rutledge.

Mikell's plantation house on Edisto Island, known as "Peters Point," was built in 1840 and remains in the Mikell family. On a personal note, this house was part of my childhood because two of his great-great granddaughters through his third wife, "the love of his life," are cousins close to my age and are like sisters to me. Growing up on Edisto meant Charleston was "town," and going to town was a momentous occasion. Our mothers always made our pediatrician appoinments together for the same date and at the same time so we could ride together (it took both mothers to handle the three of us and our brothers). We would park close to 94 Rutledge because the doctor's office was across the street and a few doors down at the corner of Wentworth and Rutledge. Living in "the country" at Edisto, we were considered more unconstrained than other children, and accordingly the doctor made sure our appointments were always on a Wednesday afternoon when the office was normally closed. We're all grown up now, most of us live here on at Edisto, and while we remain free spirits, our mothers would be glad that we conduct ourselves appropriately in polite socitey. (Well...most of the time.)

Next week we'll continue our "grand house" exploration!