The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-09-07
THE BANK OF CHARLESTON.

THE BANK OF CHARLESTON.
The improvements of its Building Com
pleted-The New Embellishments TO DO
Occupied To-day-Descriptton OF
Interior.
A number of extensive improvements and
alterations have recently been made In the
Bank of Charleston building, on the northeast
corner of Broad and State s.reels, and the i'm
provements telng now completed, the officers
of the bank expect to remove to-day from
their temporary quarters in the old board room
and will commence business in their new and
handsome apartments on the first floor next
Monday morning.
THE BUILDING AS NOW COMPLETED
is a handsome and substantial brick structure,
with the exterior freshly painted and blocked
| of In various shades of sandstone. 1t is TWO
stories high, thirty.fve feet front, aud about
seventy-fve feet deep, with a two story l.,
about thirty feet square, standing eastward
from the rear. On the first floor front Ia one
large central window with a semi-clrcular
heading enclosing a %rosette, where 1t 10 IN
tended to place a double faced clock and TWO
large double doors. Entering oy one OF the
latter. the visitor finds himself In the maui
business room, which Is a handsome and loity
apartment OCCUPYING the whole Of The ground
floor. and exceilently lighted by '.loug double
windows, six on the west, one on the lront
and four on the east side. The focr OIL tnlS
room outside of the railing is a tessel-
ated pavement In a small and neat pat
tern of various colors. Between the Two
main entrance doors are two small desks,
with check racks and stationery for the con-
venience of the public, and opposite The en-
trance and parallel with the front, at a dis.
lance of about eight feet, Is a broad white
marble counter extending nearly across the
room, built up from the floor with heavy oak
panels, and rallied off from the public by means
of deliberately carved oak posts, and a bronlzed
iron railing, with three openings for the use
of the tellers. From each end of this counter
an oak partition and iron railing about five
feet high extends back to the officers rooms,
enclosing q space about twenty-five feet
square, aud affordlng apassage way on either
| side. This enclosure Is carpeted with Office
mating, and furnished with every convent:
euce for the transaction of business. The
whole apartment has an exceedingly bright
and cheerful appearance, the walls being dn-
ished In white, and the ceiling, which ls Blk
teen feet high, relieved by q white Corlnthian
~cornice, marked out with delicate lines OF
pink and blue.
THE PRIVATE OFFICES.
In the rear of the main business-room, on
| the east side of the building, Isl large and
| very massive bank vault, having an interior
measurement of ten by forty feet. Next to
the vault, aud extending nearly across the
building to the east or State.street side, are
two private offices used respectively by the
| president and cashier. These rooms are about
| fifteen feet square; are divided of by oak-pan-
nellea wainscolting and sash partitions. and
| are handsomely carpeted and furnished. Just.
behind the presidents room, Is a wide hall
way leading from a door on State street across
the main building to the L, 1.-THE first floor Of
| which is rented to Messrs. Lesesne & Wells,).
and containing q broad staircase leading to
the second floor.
AN ELEGANT APARTMENT.
On this floor the first object to attract atten-
ton ia the magnificent board room, which oc-
cupIes the entire second floor of the L, and IT,
Without doubt the handsomest business room
In Charleston. 1t was built In the good old
| time when the Bank OF Charleston was a power
| In the laud, when Its bills were as good as gold
! from Maine to Texas, and passed side by side
with tile Bank of Eugland's notes in Europe,
and when money was no object at all with Its
directors in the appointments OF their financial
nal beauty, and will probably bear comparison
with any bank parlor In the United States.
It is o room thirty feet square, the side walls,
composed of marble Corinthian columns, in.
laid with ma!achite, dividing the windows, Of
which there are seven, all formed of stained
and ground glass In a pattern composed Of
email oval figures. The columns have elaoo-
rate CorlnthIan capitals and ore disposed In
pairs, each pair supporting a carved archi-
traye frieze and cornice. From these corni
ces spripgs the groined ceiling, which, reach
log Its apex In the centre, gives a total height
to The apartment OF about twenty-five feet.
GORGEOUS ERN IMPROVEMENTS.
On the north side of this room Ia a large and
elaborate mantel-piece, carved In a floral de-
Sign, out OF pure Egyptian marble of q rich
cream color, dellcstely traced with pink tinted
veins. On the east and west sides there are
similarly carved pedestals, designed Ior the
reception either of statuary or reading desks.
In the southwest corner Is the entrance door
from the main building, and in the centre of
the south wall is a glued double door leading
TO the piazza. This piazza is a handsome ad:
dltion to the building, and is supported by
white Corinthlan columns Of masonry, dis
posed In pairs and flushed with capitals and
ournices similar TO those In the directors room.
Thssecond floor Of the main building con-
sists of a large and we'll lighted apartment
about thirty. five by seventy feet in size, which
was once used as the meeting room OF the
board of directors, but which, becoming In.
convenient from the noise of passing teams in
this busy locality, was long ago abandoned for
the elegant apartment above described,
which, In addition to being handsome and
commodlons, has the great advantage of being
quiet and retired.
q OLD oAR ROOM
l. - ~. 800 -k..-& IL L.