One of historic Charleston’s smallest neighborhoods, Ansonborough is also one of its oldest, dating back to the late 1600s. Just outside the only walled English settlement in North America from 1690 until 1720, the neighborhood was Charleston’s first suburb. Most of the historic homes here, however, date only from the 1800s after fire devastated the neighborhood in 1838.
Chosen by the Historic Charleston Foundation in the early 1960s to set a model of preservation for the rest of Charleston, most of the neighborhood’s homes have been restored to their original beauty with modern conveniences and appointments added. Home prices range from the $400s to more than $2.5 million. And it’s not unusual for a property here to command a much higher price.
Lying just north of the Charleston City Market between Meeting and Easy Bay Streets, Ansonborough is an extremely walkable neighborhood convenient to the shopping, restaurants and nightspots of the Market and King Street areas. Attractions in the neighborhood include Gaillard Auditorium, which offers ballet, opera, and symphonic music throughout the year; also hosting some of the Spoleto Festival’s top events.
Well-known restaurants in the neighborhood include FIG, Jestine’s Kitchen, Hank’s Seafood, Cru Café and more. Each Saturday morning from April to December, the local Farmer’s Market is held at the corner of Meeting and Calhoun streets with fresh produce and flowers, artwork and other handicrafts.
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