The Philip Moore House

The Philip Moore House. 65 Meeting Street. Historical records indicate that this three-story single house was constructed between 1800 and 1802 for cabinet maker Philip Moore. Prior to the building's construction, the property served as part of brewer Daniel Bourget's large estate, which was subdivided among his grandchildren after his death. Bourget's grandson, John Poyas, constructed the single house immediately to the north at 69 Meeting Street and his granddaughter, Margaret Poyas Threadcraft, leased her inherited property to Philip Moore., The structure reflects the vernacular Charleston single house typology, defined by a one-room wide and two-room deep floor plan with a central hall, as well as an early merchant dwelling, characterized by ground-floor commercial space with formal living quarters above. The stuccoed first floor is constructed of local handmade brick laid in a 3/1 American bond with formal jack arches above the doorways and windows. The central entry into the front room is original and granted access to Moore's office, where he made and sold furniture until the 1810s. Although the interior of the dwelling has undergone significant renovations, the stair hall features original dentil-lined molding and the second-story bedrooms contain Federal-era mantels. The piazzas were added in the 1910s and the central pediment was added after the 1930s., After serving as the residence for Broad Street doctor Augustus Octavius Barbot and his family from 1874 to 1914, the dwelling was sold to New York mechanic Julius Herman Rast. Rast invented the "bicycle seat post clamp," still used today to adjust and secure the height of a bicycle seat, and while residing here also designed the "Rast Incline Attachment," which allowed a car's front seats to slide and recline. This technology, also still used today, was ultimately applied to the modern recliner chair. Additionally, Rast is credited with driving and selling the first gasoline-powered car in Charleston. The property remained in the Rast family until 2010.