Charleston County Courthouse

Charleston County Courthouse (1790–92) is a Neoclassical building in Charleston, South Carolina, designed by Irish architect James Hoban. It was a likely model for Hoban's most famous building, the White House, and both buildings are modeled after Leinster House, the current seat of the Irish Parliament in Dublin.[1]

Charleston County Courthouse
U.S. National Historic Landmark District Contributing Property
Charleston County Courthouse, southeast corner
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Interactive map showing the location of Charleston County Courthouse
Location	84 Broad Street, Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.
Coordinates	32°46′35.814″N 79°55′52.752″W
Built	1790–92
Architect	James Hoban
Architectural style	Neoclassical
Part of	Charleston Old and Historic District

President George Washington visited Charleston on his Southern Tour in May 1791, may have met with Hoban, and summoned the architect to Philadelphia, the national capital at the time, in June 1792. The following month, Hoban was named the winner of the design competition for the presidential mansion, later named the White House, in Washington, D.C. He later altered his design under Washington's influence.[2]

In 1883–1884, the courthouse underwent a large renovation performed by Kerrigan & Grant.[3]

The Courthouse remains in use, located in the historic district near the park at Washington Square. It was built on the site of and incorporated the ruins of the South Carolina Statehouse (1753, burned 1788), the capitol building for the Colony of South Carolina under British colonial rule.[4] Hoban also designed a new statehouse building nearby, which was burned down during the Civil War.