The Cleland Kinlock Huger House

The Cleland Kinlock Huger House. 8 Legare Street. , Built in 1858 by Cleland Kinlock Huger (1818-1912), this house shows the influence of the Italian Renaissance and Italian Villa styles in the quoins on its front corners, in its classical entablature, and its off-center entrance tower. Square brick piers support two tiers of colonnaded piazzas on the south elevation. The property's original enslaved quarters and carriage house at the rear are fully intact., Huger was a successful plantation owner, merchant, and Confederate artillery officer. Eliza Lucas Pinckney, Huger's great-grandmother, is credited with perfecting the transformation of indigo into blue dye, thus making indigo a cash crop during the Colonial period. Another great-grandmother, Rebecca Motte Brewton, was a heroine of the American Revolution., After several owners, Elizabeth M. Maybank purchased the property in 1927. Her husband, Burnet R. Maybank, was a City Councilman, Mayor of Charleston, and Governor of South Carolina. Here, he hosted a number of nationally significant figures, including frequent visitors and close friends, President Franklin D. Roovevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. A dinner party at 8 Legare St. led to the decision to use New Deal funds to restore Charleston's Dock Street Theatre. Burnet Maybank went on to influence major legislation and policy reform as a United States Senator, transitioning from local politician to national figure., In 1945, the house was sold to Santo Sottile, president of the Sottile Realty Company and the Charleston Hotel. The property was subdivided in 1960, and the rear dependence was numbered 8 ½ Legare St.