Old Marine Hospital

In 1831, construction began on a building that would become a source of both fascination and controversy: the Old Marine Hospital of Charleston. This striking Gothic Revival structure, designed by Robert Mills, stands as a testament to a complex history. The Old Marine Hospital was conceived as a haven for sick and disabled merchant seamen, both American and foreign. It represented one of the first federal forays into public health and welfare. However, its construction was met with resistance by many Charlestonians. They saw the hospital, funded by deductions from sailors’ wages and taxes on the shipping industry, as a symbol of federal overreach. Adding fuel to the fire, the project’s management was entrusted to Mills and other professionals from Washington D.C., further irritating local supporters of states’ rights. Upon its completion in 1834, the Old Marine Hospital was largely dismissed by the community. Despite the controversy, Mills created a building of unique beauty. The pointed arches, windows, and clustered columns evoke a sense of medieval religious architecture. The delicate porch railings were even designed to mimic the tracery found around Gothic stained glass windows. Originally U-shaped, the Old Marine Hospital lost its two rear wings to fire damage, leaving the current structure. The building has served many purposes throughout its history. After the Civil War, it was used as a free school for black children run by the Episcopal Church. From 1895 to 1939, it housed the Jenkins Orphanage, whose renowned band toured the United States and Europe raising funds. Today, the Old Marine Hospital serves as administrative offices for the Housing Authority of Charleston. It stands as a reminder of the city’s rich and sometimes turbulent past.