Yes, we are on the roof of the Nathaniel Russell House (and also walked down the cantilevered staircase!)
At the Nathaniel Russell house, the art history architecture club received a unique tour that allowed our group to experience the historic house through an alternative lens. The club was given the opportunity to hear information and participate in activities a typical house tour did not include.
Unlike a typical tour, our group viewed the third story of the house, where our guide explained many of the processes that take place, such as archiving artifacts and materials of the house. By allowing the group access to this part of the home, our guide concentrated on details and ideas that pertained particularly to the interests of our club. She also explained the current projects they were researching including fabric analysis and which types of fabrics would have been in the bedchambers during the time Nathaniel Russell lived in the house.
After viewing the private third floor, we climbed through the attic to access the roof of the house. Not only were the views stunning, we could also see the materials and smaller details one could not notice from the outside ground level, such as the construction of roof or the balusters that were cut in half to save money and use less material.
In addition, before ending the tour, our group walked down the main staircase. While in the past this used to occur in all tours, the house recently had to stop all visitors of walking on the steps to prevent any more damage and help preserve the staircase. The oval stairs are impressive and hang three stories high without any supports and minimal nails, so it was very important and exciting that our group was allowed to walk down them.
I also thought that details such as the emphasis on light were interesting to the house. For example, the function of each room was based on where it was located in the house and its reference to the sun. The morning breakfast room was placed at the front of the house because that is where most light is in the morning. Also, gold lettering on the spine of books and brass keyholes in desks from the house allowed more visibility at night when a candle was the only available light source.
The Nathaniel Russell House is unique and shows the preservation of important architectural details significant to Charleston during the time of Nathaniel Russell. I enjoyed the tour and liked that our guide showed the house from a different perspective and gave information that pertained specifically to AAH’s interests.
Nathaniel Russell House Tour
Yes, we are on the roof of the Nathaniel Russell House (and also walked down the cantilevered staircase!)
At the Nathaniel Russell house, the art history architecture club received a unique tour that allowed our group to experience the historic house through an alternative lens. The club was given the opportunity to hear information and participate in activities a typical house tour did not include.
Unlike a typical tour, our group viewed the third story of the house, where our guide explained many of the processes that take place, such as archiving artifacts and materials of the house. By allowing the group access to this part of the home, our guide concentrated on details and ideas that pertained particularly to the interests of our club. She also explained the current projects they were researching including fabric analysis and which types of fabrics would have been in the bedchambers during the time Nathaniel Russell lived in the house.
After viewing the private third floor, we climbed through the attic to access the roof of the house. Not only were the views stunning, we could also see the materials and smaller details one could not notice from the outside ground level, such as the construction of roof or the balusters that were cut in half to save money and use less material.
In addition, before ending the tour, our group walked down the main staircase. While in the past this used to occur in all tours, the house recently had to stop all visitors of walking on the steps to prevent any more damage and help preserve the staircase. The oval stairs are impressive and hang three stories high without any supports and minimal nails, so it was very important and exciting that our group was allowed to walk down them.
I also thought that details such as the emphasis on light were interesting to the house. For example, the function of each room was based on where it was located in the house and its reference to the sun. The morning breakfast room was placed at the front of the house because that is where most light is in the morning. Also, gold lettering on the spine of books and brass keyholes in desks from the house allowed more visibility at night when a candle was the only available light source.
The Nathaniel Russell House is unique and shows the preservation of important architectural details significant to Charleston during the time of Nathaniel Russell. I enjoyed the tour and liked that our guide showed the house from a different perspective and gave information that pertained specifically to AAH’s interests.