55 Bay Street, Charleston, SC 29401 (MLS# 25024554)

← Back to search

55 Bay Street, Charleston, SC 29401

$8,995,000

Property Type: Residential Bedrooms: 5 Baths: 5.5 Square Footage: 7,343 Lot Size (sq. ft.): 8,276 Status: Active Contingent

Current Price: $8,995,000 List Date: 9/08/2025 Last Modified: 12/16/2025

Description

This stunning c. 1785 four-story masonry home has been carefully preserved, exhibiting significant historical integrity. It has undergone an extensive renovation, elegantly updated to accommodate modern living and entertaining. Book-ended by Rainbow Row and High Battery, the Jonathan Simpson House was built within the original walled city by a wealthy merchant. Twelve-foot ceilings and grand rooms allow the house to be filled with light. The pine floors run the full extent of the house (28'). Much of the original molding, cypress paneling, doors, and interior shutters remain. The current owners created a hyphen to connect the original home and kitchen house under the direction of renowned Charleston architects Dufford Young, with construction by Artis, winning a 2019 Carolopolis Award.

Supplements: The project allowed for a new side garden design by Sheila Wertimer. The gourmet kitchen features a butler's pantry, mudroom, and floor-to-ceiling steel doors overlooking the side garden. The former kitchen house now features a spacious second-floor guest suite or office and a large secondary living room flanked by original fireplaces, as well as access to the screened porch overlooking the magnificent backyard that encompasses nearly a quarter of an acre of peace and tranquility. Plans were created for a 10' x 30' swimming pool and have been approved by the city. The existing custom-built "shed" could be easily converted to a pool house with bathroom. The original staircase remains, rising eloquently for all four flights, one of the tallest in the city. The second floor of the home has a 21x25 drawing room with five floor-to-ceiling windows. Across the hall, a primary suite with a fireplace and a private porch overlooking historic rooftops and palmetto trees. The third floor includes two spacious bedrooms, both with en-suite bathrooms, as well as a laundry room. The front bedroom offers clear views of Charleston Harbor. The back bedroom offers a private porch that's perched in the palmetto trees. The fourth floor is laid out as a two-room guest suite with a full bathroom and a living room, incredible historic and water views from every window. Of significant architectural interest is the cantilevered marble balcony, which projects from the second floor and is the only one in Charleston constructed in this manner. The elliptical fan light and the use of tall, glazed windows typify the work of the Adam period. Also of notable distinction is the detailed woodwork and roping around the door frame, which makes this one of the more attractive entrances in historic Charleston. The home retains architectural features of the late Georgian period, also embracing the ornamentation that more closely resembles the Adam style or the Federal period of architectural development.

Details

Property Features

SqFt Source: Hired Measurement SF Detached Style: Charleston Single Lot Description: 0 - .5 Acre Misc Exterior: Fence - Iron; Lawn Irrigation; Porch - Screened; Shed Roof: Slate Exterior: Block/Masonry; Stucco Attic Features: Finished Foundation: Basement Misc Interior: Ceiling - Cathedral/Vaulted; Ceilings - 9'+; Garden Tub/Shower; Walk-In Closets; Window Treatments - All New Owned: Pre-Owned Rooms: Eat-In-Kitchen; Family; Formal Living; Laundry; Office; Pantry; Separate Dining Primary Bedroom: Garden Tub/Shower; Multiple Closets; Upstairs; Walk-In Closets Cooling: Central Air Possession: At Closing Utility Suppliers: Charleston Water Service; Dominion Energy Proposed Financing: Cash; Conventional Loan Assumable: No

Contract Info

Sub-Type: Single Family Detached MLS List Date: 2025-09-07 Status: Active Contingent List Price: $8,995,000 Current Price: $8,995,000 Primary Structure List Price/SqFt: 1224.98

Location Tax Legal

Tax Map #: 4581301068 Street #: 55 Street Name: Bay Street Suffix: Street County: Charleston State: SC Zip Code: 29401 Area: 51 - Peninsula Charleston Inside of Crosstown Tax District: 71 - City of Charleston Subdivision: South of Broad Elementary School: Memminger Middle School: Courtenay High School: Burke Directions: Broad St or S. Battery to E. Battery / E. Bay

General Property Info

Bedrooms: 5 Primary Bedroom – Main Level: No Baths - Full: 5 Baths - Half: 1 Baths - Total: 5.5 Ground Level: Yes Stories: 4 Primary Structure Apx SqFt: 7343 Ownership: Fee Simple Year Built: 1785 Acreage: 0.19 Other Structures Y/N: No Potential Short Sale: No Occupancy: Owner

Documents

Lead Paint Disc ›

Sellers Disclosure ›

Pool Drawings ›

ASK EVE OLASOV ABOUT MLS 25024554 »

Listing Office: The Boulevard Company

Last Updated: December - 16 - 2025

Properties marked with IDX logo are provided courtesy of Charleston Trident Multiple Listing Service, Inc. The data relating to real estate for sale on this web site comes in part from the Broker Reciprocity Program of the Charleston Trident Multiple Listing Service. Real estate listings held by brokerage firms other than the website owner are marked with the Broker Reciprocity logo or the Broker Reciprocity thumbnail logo and detailed information about them includes the name of the listing brokers. The broker providing this data believes it to be correct, but advises interested parties to confirm them before relying on them in a purchase decision. Information is provided exclusively for consumers' personal, non-commerical use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing.

Walk Scores and More
55 Bay Street, Charleston, SC 29401
Learn more »

Search powered by FBS Products

Share this.