John Scott House

The John Scott House at 38 Coming Street is one of the two oldest buildings on the Charleston, South Carolina campus of the College of Charleston.[1]

The John Scott House at 38 Coming Street is now part of the College of Charleston.

In 1770, wealthy Charlestonian John Scott executed a 31-year lease for the property from St. Philip's Episcopal Church.[1] Several lots along Coming Street were conveyed at the same time, and the papers for the nearby house at 34 Coming Street was one.[1] The documents for that conveyance included a requirement that a two-story house be built within seven years.[1] That term was common for properties acquired from the church, and the same term was presumably part of the transfer to John Scott.[1]

The main floor of the house was remodeled in the Greek Revival style before the Civil War.[1] The College of Charleston bought the house in 1972 from Mrs. Helen McGill for $37,000.[2] When the College of Charleston acquired the house, it was being used as a rental property, and college officials could not have access to all of the units.[1] After purchasing the house, however, a room with Georgian paneling and doors was located on the second floor, confirming an early construction date.[1]