20 Battery Street, Charleston

The iconic Stevens-Lathers antebellum mansion is a celebrated, important property in Charleston, located at the tip of the Peninsula across from White Point Garden. Recently renovated and restored, the improvements are significant and respectful of the home's architecture. Boasting stunning waterfront views of the Ashley River, Ft. Sumter, and across the Peninsula, this impressive Greek Revival double house was built in the 1840's, a very prosperous period in Charleston, by Samuel Norman Stevens. This home was considered one of the finest mansions built on the Peninsula at the time and has hosted many important gatherings of the Charleston Society from its beginning to the present day.The deep lot includes a beautiful Charleston garden overlooking the original kitchen house and mansion. Originally built as a 3-story 'Neoclassical showpiece' by Stevens, it was later converted in the 1870's by its new owner, Col. Richard Lathers, into a more grandiose residence, adding a library on the new 4th floor and a grand ballroom measuring 25 x 40, detailing the Second Empire style. Most of the 1st- and 2nd-period architecture remains in the plaster cornices, Greek Revival columns, and door surrounds decorated with Anthemia leaves. The sweeping, oval staircase with an Empire Newel post still remains. The property still exists as a residence and an 11-room fully licensed and grandfathered inn, the Battery Carriage Inn. The Stevens-Lathers House is considered a Category 1 property by the City of Charleston and awaits a new steward to live in as a residence or maintain the mixed-use with a Boutique Inn.