Mar 14, 2023
Miles Brewton House
Completed in 1769, for Miles Brewton (1731-1775) and his wife Mary Izard (d.1775). It was built by the contractor Richard Moncrieff who employed Ezra Waite (d.1769) etc. It took four years at a cost £8,000 and was considered, "the finest of American town houses". In 1773, Josiah Quincy dined here and recalled, "the grandest hall I ever beheld, azure blue satin window curtains, rich blue paper with gilt... excessive grand and costly looking glass". The Waterford crystal chandelier in the second floor ballroom (that runs the width of the house) was designed specifically for the room and the house is described in Owen Wister's book, Lady Baltimore (1906). Today, the house is considered, "one of the most important surviving examples of English Palladianism in American architecture," similar to Drayton Hall, but Brewton's is not open to the public. Miles and his family were all lost at sea when their ship sunk in 1775, at which point the house was inherited by his sister, Mrs Rebecca (Brewton) Motte. During the British Occupation of Charleston (1781-2), the house was commandeered as the headquarters of Sir Henry Clinton, and Lords Rawdon and Cornwallis. While Brewton's portrait by Sir Joshua Reynolds was punctured by a British sword and an image of Clinton with a ship was scratched into a marble fireplace, by virtue of being the British headquarters it escaped the vandalism that befell similar properties. The ferocious barbs atop the wrought iron fence were put up in 1822 in anticipation of a rumored slave revolt. The Brewton House remains a private family home, having stayed in the same family since 1769.
Miles Brewton House
Completed in 1769, for Miles Brewton (1731-1775) and his wife Mary Izard (d.1775). It was built by the contractor Richard Moncrieff who employed Ezra Waite (d.1769) etc. It took four years at a cost £8,000 and was considered, "the finest of American town houses". In 1773, Josiah Quincy dined here and recalled, "the grandest hall I ever beheld, azure blue satin window curtains, rich blue paper with gilt... excessive grand and costly looking glass". The Waterford crystal chandelier in the second floor ballroom (that runs the width of the house) was designed specifically for the room and the house is described in Owen Wister's book, Lady Baltimore (1906). Today, the house is considered, "one of the most important surviving examples of English Palladianism in American architecture," similar to Drayton Hall, but Brewton's is not open to the public. Miles and his family were all lost at sea when their ship sunk in 1775, at which point the house was inherited by his sister, Mrs Rebecca (Brewton) Motte. During the British Occupation of Charleston (1781-2), the house was commandeered as the headquarters of Sir Henry Clinton, and Lords Rawdon and Cornwallis. While Brewton's portrait by Sir Joshua Reynolds was punctured by a British sword and an image of Clinton with a ship was scratched into a marble fireplace, by virtue of being the British headquarters it escaped the vandalism that befell similar properties. The ferocious barbs atop the wrought iron fence were put up in 1822 in anticipation of a rumored slave revolt. The Brewton House remains a private family home, having stayed in the same family since 1769.
Mar 14, 2023
Posted Date
Mar 14, 2023
Historical Record Date
Mar 14, 2023
Source Name
House Histree
Source Website
Oct 15, 1966
Oct 15, 1966
National Register of Historic Places - The Miles Brewton House
Statement of Significance: The Miles Brewton House may very well be the country’s most distinguished town house of the colonial period. Built 1765-1769, it is the best of the Charleston "double houses," displays a keen awareness of the Palladian style, and is enriched by a wealth of finely carved ornament, both inside and outside. The formal drawing room at the second story is certainly one of the finest rooms in America, with its high coved ceiling, an elaborate entablature, pedimented doors, a handsome chimney piece, and an amazing crystal chandelier made for the room when the house was built. The wood carving by Ezra Waite, throughout the house, is of the highest order. The accomplished architecture of the house finds a reflection in the outbuildings on the property, which are virtually unchanged, as is the house, from the time they were built. The whole of this large lot, approximately 200' x 500', is owned by Mrs. Edward Manigault, who lives in the house. Residential buildings flank the Miles Brewton House Immediately north and south of the brick walls at those property lines. The houses built west of the western brick wall are hidden by a rather dense growth of trees along the wall.
National Register of Historic Places - The Miles Brewton House
Statement of Significance: The Miles Brewton House may very well be the country’s most distinguished town house of the colonial period. Built 1765-1769, it is the best of the Charleston "double houses," displays a keen awareness of the Palladian style, and is enriched by a wealth of finely carved ornament, both inside and outside. The formal drawing room at the second story is certainly one of the finest rooms in America, with its high coved ceiling, an elaborate entablature, pedimented doors, a handsome chimney piece, and an amazing crystal chandelier made for the room when the house was built. The wood carving by Ezra Waite, throughout the house, is of the highest order. The accomplished architecture of the house finds a reflection in the outbuildings on the property, which are virtually unchanged, as is the house, from the time they were built. The whole of this large lot, approximately 200' x 500', is owned by Mrs. Edward Manigault, who lives in the house. Residential buildings flank the Miles Brewton House Immediately north and south of the brick walls at those property lines. The houses built west of the western brick wall are hidden by a rather dense growth of trees along the wall.
Posted Date
Jun 08, 2023
Historical Record Date
Oct 15, 1966
Source Name
National Register of Historic Places
Source Website
Posted Date
Sep 27, 2021
Source Name
Library of Congress
