William Rhett House

Front: This house, built ca. 1712, is believed to be one of the oldest houses in Charleston. It was built for William Rhett (1666-1723), a merchant, sea captain, militia officer, and speaker of the Commons House of Assembly famous for capturing the pirate Steed Bonnet. In 1807 Christopher Fitzsimons (d. 1825), a merchant and planter, bought the house, renovating and enlarging it and adding its piazzas. Reverse: The asymmetrical plan of the house includes a central hall with two large rooms on the western side and two slightly smaller rooms on the eastern side. With the relative decline of “Rhettsbury” in the early 20th century the house was a boarding house during the 1920s and 30s. Its restoration by Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin R. Kittredge, Jr., who bought it in 1941, was one of the first in this part of Charleston.