Inglis Arch House

Inglis Arch House. 91 East Bay Street. , The Inglis Arch House was constructed c. 1778 for tea merchants Peter Legger and William Greenwood. Situated on Lot 9 of the Grand Modell of Charlestown, the current building is the third to occupy the site after earlier buildings burned in the Fire of 1740 and 1778. The house is named for a former arched passageway along the northern wall that provided access from East Bay Street to Bedon’s Alley. Originally called Middle Street, the passage was later named for George Inglis, who occupied a pre-Revolutionary building on the lot., Historically located across from the Cooper River wharves, the current three-story stuccoed brick building was constructed to house maritime businesses on the ground floor with residential space above. The Inglis Arch House was later owned by a series of prominent merchants, including Nathaniel Russell and Otis Mills. Charles H. West, who operated a ship chandlery at 91 East Bay, purchased the building in 1839 and was likely responsible for the Greek Revival facade alterations. The building was badly damaged during the American Civil War but remained in the West family until 1877., In the late-19th and early-20th centuries, the building was used by a variety of businesses and institutions, including the United States Light House Department, Tradd Street Congregational Church, and a boat engine repair shop. Preservation Society founder Susan Pringle Frost bought 91-97 East Bay in 1920, with plans to renovate the buildings as funds allowed, spurring the rehabilitation of the block and its transition into residential Rainbow Row. In 1941, Frost sold 91 East Bay to John McGowan, New York playwright and Hollywood script writer. Noted African American contractor Thomas Mayhem Pinckney completed the renovation, which included reconstruction of the arched ground floor openings and addition of the pedimented gable front with a bullseye window. The house remained in the McGowan family until the 1990s.