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88 BROAD STREET, CHARLESTON, CHARLESTON COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA

At the Old Jewish Orphanage at 88 Broad Street in Charleston, South Carolina, the building once formed part of one of the city's most architecturally distinguished thoroughfares. The surviving photographs reveal a structure aligned closely with the street, its façade composed with restraint and regularity, reflecting the disciplined character of Broad Street's urban fabric.

The exterior presents a measured arrangement of openings set within a planar wall surface, where proportion and spacing define the composition more than applied ornament. The façade relies on balance rather than display, with each element positioned in deliberate relation to the whole. This approach places the building firmly within Charleston's architectural tradition, where continuity along the street was achieved through alignment, scale, and repetition rather than individual assertion.

Within, the surviving elements reveal a degree of finish consistent with Charleston construction of the period. Mantels, door surrounds, and trim assemblies are composed with attenuated proportions, where elongated members and controlled projection define each surface. Fascia, bed mould, and fillet are arranged with precision, forming stratified compositions that rely on proportion rather than heavy carving.

The documented details disclose consistency across these elements. Profiles remain slender relative to their overall scale, and transitions between members are handled with restraint. This approach generates depth through shadow and alignment, allowing the interior to maintain a sense of order across different rooms and assemblies.

What remains today is fragmentary, yet instructive. Removed from their original setting, these elements preserve material evidence of a building that once stood within the dense fabric of historic Charleston. Through them, the orphanage can still be apprehended as a composed architectural work, shaped by the standards and conditions of its time and place.

South elevation drawing of the Old Jewish Orphanage
 
Front door detail for the Old Jewish Orphanage showing paneled double doors, fluted columns, bead trim, rosette blocks, and side section profile.
FIRST FLOOR HALL DOOR ELEVATION
Elevation drawing of paneled double doors with decorative pilasters and rosette motifs.
FIRST FLOOR HALL DOOR ELEVATION
Cross-section profiles of interior molding and trim elements.
FIRST FLOOR HALL DOOR MOULDING DETAILS
Elevation drawing of a classic nine-over-nine double-hung window.
SECOND FLOOR WINDOW ELEVATION
Sectional drawing of a nine-over-nine window detailing framing depth.
SECOND FLOOR WINDOW ELEVATION
Vertical and horizontal cross-sections of a window and adjacent wall panel.
SECOND FLOOR WINDOW ELEVATION AND SECTION
Cross-section profiles of interior mantels and cornice assemblies.
SECOND FLOOR WINDOW MOULDING DETAILS
Elevation drawing of a decorative frieze with diamond fretwork and fluted pilasters.
FIRST AND SECOND FLOOR STAIR HALL CORNICE
Cross-section profile overlaid on a diamond-motif frieze and fluted pilasters.
FIRST AND SECOND FLOOR STAIR HALL CORNICE
Large-scale cross-section profile of a multi-tiered cornice or mantel.
FIRST AND SECOND FLOOR STAIR HALL CORNICE MOULDING DETAILS
Historic American Buildings Survey title sheet for the Old Jewish Orphanage at 88 Broad Street in Charleston, South Carolina.
 
Cellar floor plan of the Old Jewish Orphanage showing room layout, masonry walls, door schedule, and window schedule.
 
First floor plan of the Old Jewish Orphanage with hall door detail, room divisions, stair location, and door and window schedules.
 
Second floor plan of the Old Jewish Orphanage showing office partitions, stair layout, window details, and door schedule.
 
Third floor plan of the Old Jewish Orphanage with north elevation inset, room layout, and door and window schedules.
 
South elevation drawing of the Old Jewish Orphanage showing the stucco façade, slate roof, windows, and central entrance.
 
East elevation drawing of the Old Jewish Orphanage showing stucco exterior, window placement, slate roof, and side entrance.
 
Longitudinal section of the Old Jewish Orphanage looking east, showing stair halls, interior walls, floor levels, and roof structure.
 
Detail drawing of first and second floor stair hall cornice at the Old Jewish Orphanage.
 
Site plan for the Old Jewish Orphanage showing its location on Broad Street near 90 Broad and the Charleston County Court House.
 
Basement plan of the Old Jewish Orphanage showing room layout, stair locations, wall structure, and dimensions.
 
First floor plan of the Old Jewish Orphanage and adjacent 90 Broad building showing room layout, stairs, entrances, and wall construction.
 
Second floor plan of the Old Jewish Orphanage and 90 Broad building showing room arrangement, stair locations, and window bays.
 
Third floor plan of the Old Jewish Orphanage and 90 Broad building showing interior partitions, stair tower inset, and room dimensions.
 
Roof plan of the Old Jewish Orphanage showing roof forms, adjoining structures, and roofing materials.
 
South elevation drawing of the Old Jewish Orphanage and 90 Broad showing the Broad Street façade and floor height measurements.
 
East elevation drawing of the Old Jewish Orphanage showing side façade, windows, roof ridge, eave height, and 1950s infill building.
 
East-west section drawing of the Old Jewish Orphanage and 90 Broad showing floor levels, interior walls, windows, and building structure.
 
Exterior view of the Old Jewish Orphanage at 88 Broad Street showing the Broad Street façade, corner quoins, windows, and central entrance.
 
Close view of the Old Jewish Orphanage entrance with fluted columns, Corinthian capitals, dentil cornice, and paneled doorway.
 
Interior view through the Old Jewish Orphanage entrance showing decorative door surround, paneled transom, and stair hall beyond.
 
Stair hall at the Old Jewish Orphanage showing curved stair rail, slender balusters, scroll stair brackets, and arched window.
 
Interior room of the Old Jewish Orphanage showing column, chair rail, cornice trim, and fireplace mantel.
 
Fireplace mantel at the Old Jewish Orphanage with fluted columns, carved capitals, decorative frieze, and chair rail.
 
Exterior entrance of the Old Jewish Orphanage showing double paneled doors, fluted columns, and classical doorway surround.
 
Street view of the Old Jewish Orphanage showing the three-story stucco façade, pediment, corner quoins, and adjacent Broad Street buildings.
 
Front elevation of the Old Jewish Orphanage showing symmetrical window placement, central doorway, pediment, and palm trees along Broad Street.
 
Close view of the Old Jewish Orphanage entrance showing fluted columns, paneled double doors, dentil cornice, and sidelined windows.
 
Interior room of the Old Jewish Orphanage showing a brick fireplace, built-in shelving, and later ceiling alterations.
 
Interior doorway at the Old Jewish Orphanage showing double doors, surrounding casing, chair rail, and damaged ceiling panels.
 
Interior room of the Old Jewish Orphanage with paneled wainscot, built-in shelving, window trim, and cornice moulding.
 
Interior room of the Old Jewish Orphanage showing patterned wallpaper, paneled wainscot, window trim, and doorway opening.
 
Interior room of the Old Jewish Orphanage showing paneled doors, door casings, built-in shelving, and damaged finishes.
 
Interior office room of the Old Jewish Orphanage showing window trim, wainscot, doorway, and later wall finishes.
 
Interior room of the Old Jewish Orphanage showing damaged walls, window casing, baseboard, and exposed ceiling area.
 
Interior room of the Old Jewish Orphanage with two windows, paneled wainscot, baseboard trim, and damaged ceiling panels.
 
Old Jewish Orphanage entrance with exposed brick around the doorway, paneled entry walls, and glass doors beyond.
 

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