Charleston Consolidated Railway, Electric, and Gas Company Car House
National Register Listing
Street Address:
649 Meeting St., Charleston, SC (Charleston County)
Alternate Name:
Charleston Trolley Barn
NRHP Nomination
Record Number:
S10817710189
Description and Narrative:
The Charleston Consolidated Railway, Electric, and Gas Company Car House, known locally as the Charleston Trolley Barn, was constructed as trolley car maintenance space, and is a large brick masonry building located at 649 Meeting Street on the northern portion of the Charleston peninsula. The building is locally significant under Criterion A in the area of transportation. The original building was constructed in 1897 and was part of a complex that included a power house, which is no longer extant, that was once located across Meeting Street. This complex was responsible for powering and maintaining the electric streetcar line when the horse-drawn streetcars were modernized in 1897. The period of significance of the property runs from its construction to 1938, when the Charleston trolleys were decommissioned. Although the trolley barns remained in service for the replacement fleet of buses, the buildings are more strongly associated with the trolley system. The trolley barn at 649 Meeting Street represents the last extant building associated with the electric trolley system that was once integral to Charleston’s transportation network. Listed in the National Register February 28, 2017.
Period of Significance:
1897 – 1938
Level of Significance:
Local
Area of Significance:
Transportation
National Register Determination:
listed
Date of Certification:
February 28 2017
