Faber House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Faber House
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 Location in South Carolina
Location in the United States
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| Location | 635 East Bay Street, Charleston, South Carolina |
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| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1839 |
| NRHP reference No. | 100003689 |
| Added to NRHP | April 30, 2019 |
The Faber House is a historic building located in Charleston, South Carolina. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2019. This special list helps protect important buildings and places across the United States.
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The Story of Faber House
The Faber House is named after two brothers, Henry F. Faber and Joseph W. Faber. They bought a large piece of land together in Charleston. Their plan was to divide the land and build a house for each of them.
Henry Faber started building his house, which became the Faber House. Sadly, he passed away in 1839 before the house was finished. His wife then sold the unfinished house to his brother, Joseph W. Faber, who completed the construction.
Saving the House
By the 1960s, the Faber House was in very poor condition. There were plans to tear it down to build new homes for families. These new homes were needed because a big highway, I-26, was being built, and some families had to move.
However, a group called the Historic Charleston Foundation stepped in. They bought the house to save it from being demolished. Their goal was to fix it up and find a new owner who would also care about preserving its history.
The Foundation hired an expert named Herbert DaCosta, Jr. He started working on the house in February 1966. He helped to repair some parts and make sure the building was stable.
A Challenging Time
In June 1969, the house faced another challenge. A street flare, which is like a bright road signal, was thrown through a window. This caused a fire inside the house. Charleston was experiencing difficult times in the community during this period.
Later, in 1971, a real estate company called Arthur Ravenel Co. bought the Faber House. They planned to fully restore it. They wanted to use the ground floor as offices and turn the upper floors into two apartments. They also planned to fix up smaller buildings on the property to be used as homes.
What the Faber House Looks Like
The Faber House is a great example of a building designed in the Palladian style. This style is known for its balance and grand features.
A special part of the house is its two-story portico. This is like a large porch with a roof supported by four tall, decorative columns. These columns are called Ionic columns because of their unique scroll-like tops. The portico sits on a 15-foot-tall ground floor with arched openings.
On top of the house, there is a small, dome-shaped structure called a cupola. It has a decorative top piece called a finial. The original finial was hit by lightning in 1973, but a new one was made to look exactly like it.
