Design & Build Magazine May/June 2015

GreatEscapes
Photos courtesy of the Inn at Middleton Place
DESTINATION:
History
EEscape life’s hurry and worry with a IT IS A CHALLENGE TO PROVIDE AN ADEQUATE
description of Middleton Place and the Inn which is part of the
visit to the unique and beautiful Inn
historic grounds. With certainty, nowhere else in the world compares.
The Inn at Middleton Place welcomes those seeking a
at Middleton Place overlooking the
Ashley River. The Inn is part of Middleton
Place, a national historic land-
among tall pines and live oaks - only a short stroll from Middle-
peaceful retreat and offers unsurpassed natural beauty for a quiet
vacation, or a weekend getaway. The Inn’s 55 rooms are secluded
mark located 14 miles from downtown
Charleston. Middleton Place
ton Place, iconic feature of the South Carolina Low Country and
home of America’s oldest landscaped gardens. Dramatic floor-toceiling
windows bring into every room all the rich tones of the
offers a unique vacation destination woodland setting, with sweeping views over the winding Ashley
for those who are accustomed to River. Upon these banks a rice plantation flourished more than
200 years ago.
staying on the beaten path.
The Inn was designed by architects W.G. Clark and Charles
The Inn at Middleton Place in Charleston, SC
(Architects W.G. Clark and Charles Menefee III ) is recognized for its
outstanding concept and design by the American Institute for Architecture
with its Honor Award, the profession’s highest accolade for individual
buildings by American architects.
Menefee III, who were inspired by the “thin shacks and sheds
of insubstantial beauty” of the Southern vernacular building tradition.
They are known for structures that are at once modest,
rigorous, and economical in detail. Blending the ease and informality
of the architecture of the historic South with the elegance
of end-of-the-century modernism, they created a captivating retreat
that is hard to leave.
A perfect combination of modern design and environmentally
sensitive layout is part and parcel of what makes this property
unique. Every effort was made to integrate the structure into
the landscape while at the same time complementing historic
Charleston architecture; more specifically, the architectural ruins
that seem to be emerging out of the earth and ancient forests
and that can still be found throughout the Low Country. Very
few trees were removed or disturbed during construction, and
over the years, fig vines have grown to cover many of the Inn’s
exterior walls. By design, the woods surrounding the Inn seem
to be reclaiming the buildings, blending them seamlessly into
the 100-year-old live oaks, Spanish moss, and other flora found
along the banks of the Ashley River. Even the Inn’s 55 guest
rooms, with their extensive use of cypress and minimal apparent
design remind one of a quaint cabin in the woods.
Admission to Middleton Place – home to America’s oldest formal
landscaped gardens – helps seal the experience, and is included with
each room rental. Guests of The Inn have access to all the points of
interest which make Middleton Place so fascinating. In addition to
the Gardens, begun in 1741, the House Museum (1755) offers tours
daily and the Stable yards bring to life the sights and sounds of an
18th and 19th-century plantation.
DB Information courtesy of the Inn at Middleton Place
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