Reflecting Pond, Drayton Hall, West Ashley, Charleston, SC
Built between 1747 and 1752, Drayton Hall was built by John Drayton, Sr. as the centerpiece of his plantation. The house is considered one of the most significant examples of Palladian architecture in the United States, and was the only plantation house along the Ashley River to survive both the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. The mansion originally had two flanker buildings that housed offices and service areas, which were connected to the basement level of the house by two arcing colonnades. It is believed the colonnades were destroyed during the Revolutionary War, while the flanker buildings survived into the late 19th Century. The house was left mostly vacant beginning in the early 19th Century, with the Drayton family occasionally utilizing it as a vacation house, which led to it being preserved much as it was in the 18th Century. The house, due to the level of intactness, was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1960, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. In 1976, the house was bought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and was opened to the public for tours, under the oversight of the Drayton Hall Preservation Trust.
Reflecting Pond, Drayton Hall, West Ashley, Charleston, SC
Built between 1747 and 1752, Drayton Hall was built by John Drayton, Sr. as the centerpiece of his plantation. The house is considered one of the most significant examples of Palladian architecture in the United States, and was the only plantation house along the Ashley River to survive both the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. The mansion originally had two flanker buildings that housed offices and service areas, which were connected to the basement level of the house by two arcing colonnades. It is believed the colonnades were destroyed during the Revolutionary War, while the flanker buildings survived into the late 19th Century. The house was left mostly vacant beginning in the early 19th Century, with the Drayton family occasionally utilizing it as a vacation house, which led to it being preserved much as it was in the 18th Century. The house, due to the level of intactness, was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1960, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. In 1976, the house was bought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and was opened to the public for tours, under the oversight of the Drayton Hall Preservation Trust.