William Enston Home, Charleston

The William Enston Home is an early example of a planned community designed for elderly residents. Developed in the late 19th century, this unique complex comprises 24 residential cottages, a community building, an infirmary, an engine house, a water tower, and an entrance gate. The water tower, designed in 1889, served as the centerpiece of a model waterworks system, while the spacious, landscaped grounds embodied the suburban planning ideals of the 19th century. The buildings themselves represent a significant collection of Romanesque Revival architecture-a rare style in Charleston.

The philanthropic benefactor behind the Enston Home was William Enston, an English immigrant to Charleston who made his fortune in trade. Upon his death, he bequeathed the majority of his estate to the City of Charleston for the purpose of establishing a benevolent home for the city's elderly and infirm residents, with the aim of "making old age comfortable". Enston envisioned the Home to be modeled after similar British institutions, particularly one he was familiar with in his hometown of Canterbury. His specifications included neat and convenient two-story brick cottages with a minimum of eight acres of land. Eligible residents were to be elderly individuals, aged 45 to 75, of "good honest character", and without "lunacy."

At the time of his death in 1860, Enston's estate was valued at $1 million, but it was reduced by half due to losses suffered during the Civil War. The project was delayed until after the death of Mrs. Enston in 1886 when the City received the entirety of the estate. Charleston Mayor William A. Courtenay corresponded with the mayor of Canterbury to develop the concept for this "model village".

Most of the cottages were constructed in 1889 on twelve acres, featuring shaded and stone-paved roadways, each named after various English sites and historical figures. Additional buildings were added to the complex by the 1930s. Today, the Housing Authority of Charleston owns the property, and the restored cottages provide housing for individuals with low to moderate incomes.