Mount Pleasant Magazine March/April 2020

72 www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.ILoveMountPleasant.com | www.BestofMP.com beautiful homes was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in September 2007. This two-and-a-half-story, symmetrical frame residence with a double-tiered piazza has served varied and interesting roles since its construction, including a summer residence, full-time residence, brothel, general store and rental property. Dr. Patrick was a Charleston dentist who patented a piece of dental equipment used widely in Europe at first and then later in America. Upon his death, he willed the home to his son Charles, who later sold it to William Bhermann who converted the first floor to a tavern and the upper floors into what became known as the “Moultrieville Brothel.” Situated just outside the gate to Fort Moultrie, the house was prime real estate for attracting military personnel. A widowed Mary Smith and her sisters purchased the home in 1920 and remodeled it. At about this same time, she added a general store — a small rectangular structure located on the southeast corner of the property at the intersection of Middle and Station 18 ½ Streets. When she died, the home passed to her niece and family members lived in the house until around the mid-1980s. The house had been lying vacant for six years until the property was acquired in the spring of 1990. According to National Register documents, today it is a privately-owned residence. 807 OCEAN BLVD. Isle of Palms Nicholas Sottile built the first house on Isle of Palms in 1898, which still stands today at 807 Ocean Boulevard. At the time of its construction it was considered a first-row beachfront home, but today it is located on the second row. A Charleston businessman and mayor pro tempore under John P. Grace, for whom the Grace Memorial Bridge that closed in 2005 was named, Nicholas lived on Isle of Palms until his death in 1928. The Sottile family, now a prominent Lowountry surname, came from Sicily in the late 1800s and settled in Charleston. As the town quickly gained traction in the early 1900s as a seaside resort and tourist attraction offering luxuries and amusements, the Isle of Palms of Nicholas’ day was nicknamed the “Coney Island of the South.” Nicholas’ younger brother James, president of the Charleston-Isle of Palms Traction Company, was responsible for building a pavilion and amusement park on Isle of Palms that helped contribute to the Coney Island comparison. At his death in 1964 at age 77, James was worth $100 million and considered one of the 50 wealthiest men in America. A grandson of Nicholas Sottile, current South Carolina State House Representative Mike Sottile, served as mayor of the Isle of Palms from 2001 to 2008. The 807 Ocean Boulevard home was newly renovated in 2005 and features 5,450 square feet, six bedrooms and four bathrooms. JOHN Y. DUPRE HOUSE McClellanville The quiet fishing village of McClellanville is located about 30 miles north of Mount Pleasant off Highway 17. Its McClellanville Historic District, listed on the Dr. John B. Patrick House, circa 1870. Photo by Tonya McGue. 807 Ocean Blvd., circa 1898. Photo by Tonya McGue.