Clark Mills Studio

Clark Mills Studio is a four-story masonry building with stuccoed brick walls and projecting bay windows on the second and third floors. The structure was fully equipped as a sculpture workshop, containing casting furnaces, storage areas, and workspaces for carving marble and shaping bronze.

Mills operated this workshop from 1837 to 1848, creating significant marble works and bronzes that shaped the reputation of American sculpture. After Mills departed, the building served other artists and craftspeople, though it never regained its role as a center of sculptural innovation.

The studio was a working space where Mills conducted artistic experiments with new casting techniques that influenced sculptors across America. Visitors and apprentices came to observe how innovative methods were applied to transform raw materials into finished sculptures.

The building is located in downtown Charleston and is easily reached on foot, though it sits somewhat away from the main walking routes. Access is from Broad Street, where you can view the characteristic bay windows of the structure from the outside.

This studio housed the creation of designs for the first bronze equestrian statue in America, with the horse of Andrew Jackson balanced impossibly on two legs. This groundbreaking achievement was a technical sensation that gained international attention and established Mills as a celebrated sculptor worldwide.

Location: Charleston

GPS coordinates: 32.77608,-79.92991

Latest update: December 14, 2025 18:16