21 E Battery

21 East Battery offers a rare opportunity to steward one of Charleston's most historically significant residences. Known as the Edmondston-Alston House, this extraordinary South of Broad property has stood overlooking Charleston Harbor for two centuries. It embodies the architectural beauty, resilience, and layered history that define the Charleston peninsula.Constructed in 1825 for Scottish shipping merchant Charles Edmondston, the residence was among the first substantial houses built along the city's seawall and what is now Charleston's iconic High Battery. A decade later, the property was acquired by Charles Alston, a member of a well-established Lowcountry rice planting family, who refined the house in the Greek Revival style. Alston added architectural elements including the signature three tiered piazzas supported by Corinthian columns and a distinctive parapet bearing the Alston family crest.

From its earliest years, the house has been closely tied to Charleston's network of prominent families. In 1849, the marriage of Williams Middleton to Susan Pringle Smith united the Edmondston-Alston House with Middleton Place under one extended family lineage. Susan Pringle Smith's ancestry traces to Bishop Robert Smith, who arrived in Charleston in 1757, and served as the first American Episcopal bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina. Bishop Smith also played a foundational role in the creation of the College of Charleston, helping to finance and establish the institution. Through generations of intermarriage among the Smith, Middleton, and Alston families, ownership and stewardship of both Middleton Place and the Edmondston-Alston House became intertwined, reinforcing a legacy deeply rooted in land and heritage.

The house has witnessed defining moments in American history. From the third floor piazza overlooking the harbor, Confederate General P. G. T. Beauregard observed the first shots of the Civil War in 1861. Later that year, General Robert E. Lee sought refuge here during the Great Fire of Charleston.