Single House
In Charleston, South Carolina, a long, two- or three-story, one-room-deep house with a central stair, sited perpendicular to the street. It is entered at midpoint, usually along a full-length porch or piazza. (Foster, 2004) By the mid-eighteenth century, Charles Town had developed a distinctive type of house that continued to be built well into the twentieth century. It has always been known as the single house, probably to distinguish it from the attached row houses that were popular until this time. No one knows the exact origin, but historians belief the rapid shift in popularity from attached dwellings to narrow, free-standing houses was an intentional change after the fire of 1740. The aim would have been to slow the spreading of fire, which had destroyed much of the densely built city. (Historic Charleston Foundation, 2013) Photo from Charleston, South Carolina, 2013.