Framed oil painting

24 × 24 (image size) oil on board

Three Churches from Archdale ~ Historic structures standing the test of time!

The Archdale Street neighborhood in Charleston has become revitalized. Back in the early 19th century it was known as the Red Light District, supporting a number of brothels visited nightly by sailors from the nearby port. Now it is part of the Historic District of Charleston, with many restored historic homes, and churches that are registered as National Historic Landmarks!

The vantage point in my painting is from the intersection of Fulton and Archdale. What originally caught my eye was the two distinctly different churches standing side by side, St. John’s Lutheran Church (white) and The Unitarian Church (a yellow-goldish color). A bonus was spotting the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist beyond the far end of Archdale, on Broad Street.

To me this scene is iconic historic Charleston. The city was founded around its religious tolerance. To have a Lutheran, Unitarian and Catholic church all in such close proximity symbolizes that religious tolerance.

St. John’s Lutheran Church was dedicated on its present site in 1764! It survived the Revolutionary War. Hurricane Hugo in 1989 badly damaged the Nave costing almost a million dollars to restore. In 2011 it underwent another substantial renovation.

The Unitarian Church is the oldest Unitarian church in the south. It was completed in 1776! It was damaged in the Revolutionary War but was restored. In 1886 the devastating Charleston earthquake caused major damage, collapsing the tower which fell into the Nave destroying a significant part of the beautiful “fan-vaulted” ceiling. With much effort it was restored. Then Hugo came along in 1989 damaging much of the grounds but left the church relatively unscathed.

The first Cathedral of St. John the Baptist was completed in 1854 only to be destroyed by the 1861 Charleston fire. The current church was completed in 1890. The Gothic architecture was built with “tool-chiseled brownstone”.

The carriage coachman has so much history to share with his passengers as they pass the intersection of Fulton and Archdale, heading down Archdale. It is hard for me to fathom how these beautiful structures have stood the test of time with so many hardships including the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, a major earthquake, a major fire, the Great Depression, Hurricane Hugo and numerous other major hurricanes.

In my painting, Three Churches from Archdale, the late afternoon sun streaks across Archdale and highlights the church towers. The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist at the end of the street draws you into the painting along with the carriage. It is early summer and the crepe myrtles are in bloom. Tall oaks help frame the look down Archdale.

I worked at keeping edges soft and creating an Impressionist feel to a fairly realistic piece.

I hope you like the painting. It is a scene that spoke to me. I loved the scene from the minute I saw it.

It reminds me of when we lived in Camden, Maine. Our house backed up to the Camden Baptist Church. Right next to it was the Episcopal Church. The Baptist Church had a large clock in the steeple that rang a large bell on the hour around the clock. The Episcopal church had a beautiful organ that I could hear while working in our perennial garden. Our neighborhood was blessed to have these historic places of worship as good neighbors, as are the residents of Archdale.