Nestled on an acre in the heart of downtown Charleston, The William Aiken House is one of the city’s oldest and most historic homes. Construction of the brick single house began in 1807 and completed in 1811. The 456 King Street residence originally belonged to William Aiken Sr., prominent businessman and first president of the South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company. The Victorian style 2nd story ballroom and connecting piazzas were added sometime during the 1830’s by Aiken's son, Governor William Aiken, Jr., after his father’s early passing.
In 1863, Aiken, Jr. sold the house to the South Carolina Railroad Company who used it as their company headquarters. Originally valued at $14,000 when Aiken, Sr. bought it, Aiken, Jr. sold the house for $50,000.
In 1899, Southern Railway acquired the railroad company and the William Aiken House for use as their corporate offices. They did little to preserve the interior of the house and the maintenance that was done was more practical in nature than to maintain the historic integrity. Throughout its history, there were doubts that the house would be preserved at all. In fact, one room was completely removed and placed in the new Southern executive offices in Washington.
Eventually, the historic value of the house was recognized and in 1964, it was designated a National Historic Landmark. In 1978, Southern Railway deeded the house to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Patrick Properties, LLC purchased the building in 2000 and meticulously restored the once proud landmark to its original state. Today, this magnificent historic home stands as Charleston’s most elegant event venue.
