People's Office Building, Office building in Charleston, South Carolina, US
The People's Office Building at 18 Broad Street is an eight-story steel- and iron-framed structure completed in 1911. Its first two floors are faced with Winnsboro granite, while the upper stories are clad in buff-colored brick and terracotta. Two white marble leopards, carved in 18th-century Italy, flank the main entrance.
Organized by Mayor R. Goodwyn Rhett, president of the People's National Bank, the tower was financed by 50 local leaders who raised $150,000, matched by a New York mortgage. Construction began on December 7, 1909, and the steel frame was topped out in late April 1910. It opened in April 1911 as Charleston's first skyscraper, costing $300,000. The People's Bank closed in 1936, and the building passed to the Southeastern Securities Co.
The two white marble leopards at the main entrance were carved by an unknown 18th-century artist and brought to Charleston from an estate near Boston. Charles L. Mullaly installed them after buying the building in 1936. The right leopard was destroyed by vandalism in June 2011; both were reproduced in 2013 by Kevin McLean, a College of Charleston art student.
The entrance on Broad Street is marked by two white marble leopards, reproductions installed in 2013 after the originals were carved by an unknown 18th-century artist. The upper floors are reached by elevator; the building now holds offices and condominiums, so interior access is limited to residents and tenants.
The two white marble leopards at the main entrance were carved by an unknown 18th-century Italian artist and brought to Charleston from an estate near Boston. Vandals destroyed the right-hand leopard in June 2011; both were reproduced in 2013 by Kevin McLean, then an art student at the College of Charleston.
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