• 37 Church Street

George Matthews House

Historic Property
Street Address:
37 Church Street

Site card S108042000100395000

Date Surveyed:
circa 1972
Construction Date:
circa 1750
Number of Stories:
2
Exterior Walls Materials:
Stucco; ; ;
Roof Shape:
Hip
Signficant Architectural Features:
The square block house has some elements of Dutch architectural ancestry, a decor that could have been implanted by the Vanderhorsts, a former owner of the house. John Vanderhorst was engaged in a very lucrative sea trade, and was noted in Charleston for keeping large amounts of gold coins inside a water keg which he kept on his front stoop. He relied upon the theory that nobody would think of stealing a water keg. The persent double piazzas were probably built after the original house. With its bull roof, a half bulls-eye on the east and a dormer over the piazza on the south, the house is one of the most charming in the city. A small balcony opens over the garden from a second story room. The first story parlor is completely paneled and is considered by architects to be one of the best of its type in the city.
Survey:
Historic Charleston Foundation Survey 1972
Archives Location:
Box 1, Series 108042, Survey of historic resources (county by county data on surface properties), circa 1971-2014