Nathaniel Russell House
Nathaniel Russell House Museum
A Federal-style mansion completed in 1808, famous for its freestanding elliptical staircase with no visible support, and showing the lives of merchant families and their servants.
The Nathaniel Russell House was built by Nathaniel Russell, a wealthy merchant from Rhode Island, and is a masterpiece of American Federal architecture. An elliptical spiral staircase rising through three stories appears almost freestanding, which is truly astonishing. The interior retains fine plaster moldings and original-color decoration. The house is managed by the Historic Charleston Foundation, and tours also cover the 18 enslaved people who lived and worked here. Admission is about $18, and there is a combination ticket with the Aiken-Rhett House.
Opening hours
About 10:00–17:00
Nearby sights
- St. Michael's Church
- The Battery & White Point Garden
- Rainbow Row
- Gibbes Museum of Art
- Old Slave Mart Museum
- Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon
- St. Philip's Church
- King Street