Kings Courtyard Inn

Kings Courtyard Inn is a boutique hotel at 198 King Street in Charleston, South Carolina. The property occupies a three-story Greek Revival building with Egyptian Revival details that was constructed in 1853 for Colonel J. Charles Blum. Designed by architect Francis D. Lee, the structure is part of Charleston’s historic urban fabric and includes two interior courtyards and a rear garden, features that contribute to the inn’s distinctive identity and name. Before becoming a hotel, the building had a varied commercial history. Its upper floors were originally used as lodging for visiting plantation owners and shipping magnates, while the ground floor contained retail premises. Over the following decades, tenants included milliners, grocery businesses, and antique dealers. During the 1930s, the third floor was converted into an indoor roller-skating rink. This sequence of commercial, hospitality, and recreational uses reflects the changing character of King Street and Charleston’s central business district. The building was converted and opened as Kings Courtyard Inn in 1983. Contemporary coverage described the project as the transformation of a roughly 130-year-old structure that had previously housed shops and a skating rink into one of Charleston’s newest inns. The opening was associated with antique symposiums held on Saturdays, a programming choice connected to the property’s location in Charleston’s antique district and to the historic character of King Street. The inn’s principal offering is short-term lodging in a historic setting. Its approximately 41 rooms, period architecture, courtyards, and garden distinguish it from standardized full-service hotels. The property forms part of the Charleston Historic District, which is recognized as a National Historic Landmark District and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building itself is a contributing property within that district. In 1989, Kings Courtyard Inn became one of the 35 founding members of Historic Hotels of America, a National Trust for Historic Preservation program recognizing historic hotels in the United States. Its continued association with that program reinforces the inn’s positioning around architectural heritage, preservation, and Charleston’s historic tourism economy. Publicly available reference material does not identify the inn’s current owner, parent company, executives, financial performance, or any major scandals or litigated controversies.

The building now known as Kings Courtyard Inn was constructed in 1853 for Colonel J. Charles Blum. It is a three-story structure designed by Francis D. Lee in the Greek Revival style, with Egyptian Revival elements. Its location on King Street placed it within one of Charleston’s important commercial corridors, while its scale and architectural treatment made it one of the larger buildings in its block. The property’s original arrangement combined commerce and lodging. Shops occupied the first floor, while the second and third floors were used as hotel rooms. The upper floors reportedly served visitors connected with the region’s plantation and shipping economy. This early lodging use established a connection between the building and the hospitality function it would later resume under the Kings Courtyard Inn name. Over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the building accommodated a succession of commercial tenants. Uses included millinery, grocery, and antique stores. In the 1930s, the third floor was converted into an indoor roller-skating rink, illustrating how the building was adapted to changing consumer and leisure patterns while retaining its underlying historic structure. In 1983, the building was converted into Kings Courtyard Inn. Contemporary reporting characterized the project as the redevelopment of an approximately 130-year-old former commercial building and skating rink into a new Charleston inn. The opening was accompanied by antique symposiums held on Saturdays through part of the opening season. That programming aligned the new hotel with the antique businesses and historic-tourism atmosphere of the surrounding King Street district. The restored property incorporates two inner courtyards and a rear garden. These spaces, together with the historic exterior and small room count, support the inn’s boutique character. The hotel has approximately 41 rooms, making it a relatively small lodging property rather than a large convention or resort operation. Kings Courtyard Inn is a contributing property in the Charleston Historic District. The district is recognized as a National Historic Landmark District and is included on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1989, the inn joined Historic Hotels of America as one of the program’s 35 founding members. The affiliation links the property to a national preservation and heritage-hospitality network. Available reference material does not establish the identities of the current owner, operator, founders of the hotel conversion, executives, or any parent organization beyond the inn’s continuing association with Historic Hotels of America. It also does not document major financial events, acquisitions, litigation, recalls, or scandals.

• 1989

  Founding membership in Historic Hotels of America

  [1]Kings Courtyard Innen.wikipedia.org

  Kings Courtyard Inn became one of the 35 founding members of Historic Hotels of America.

• 1983

  Kings Courtyard Inn opens

  [1]Kings Courtyard Innen.wikipedia.org

  The historic building reopened as Kings Courtyard Inn, a small hotel with programming linked to Charleston’s antique district.

• 1930

  Third floor becomes an indoor skating rink

  [1]Kings Courtyard Innen.wikipedia.org

  During the 1930s, the building’s third floor was adapted for indoor roller skating after earlier periods of retail and lodging use.

• 1853

  Construction of the Blum Building

  [1]Kings Courtyard Innen.wikipedia.org

  A three-story building was constructed at 198 King Street for Colonel J. Charles Blum. Francis D. Lee designed it in a Greek Revival style incorporating Egyptian Revival details.

A small historic boutique inn positioned around Charleston architecture, preservation, courtyards, and an intimate lodging experience in the city’s antique district.

• Boutique lodging · 1983

  Guest rooms

  Kings Courtyard Inn provides approximately 41 guest rooms within a restored nineteenth-century building on King Street. The accommodation experience is defined by the property’s historic architecture, small scale, Charleston location, and connection to the building’s former lodging use. The available reference material does not specify individual room categories, amenities, rates, or current service packages.

• Hotel grounds · 1983

  Courtyards and rear garden

  Two interior courtyards and a rear garden are integral physical features of the inn. They provide open-air spaces within the dense historic Charleston setting and help distinguish the property from conventional urban hotels. The courtyards are also reflected in the inn’s name and form part of its heritage-oriented boutique positioning.

• 1983Opening antique symposiums

  Charleston · United States

  To coincide with its opening, Kings Courtyard Inn sponsored antique symposiums on Saturdays through part of the opening season. The events connected the new inn with the antique district surrounding King Street and emphasized the property’s historic setting.

  Outcome. The symposiums were reported as opening-related programming; no broader attendance or commercial outcome is documented in the available sources.

  Source

• 1983

  Conversion of a historic mixed-use building into a boutique innStrategy

  Background

  The 1853 Blum Building had previously accommodated shops, lodging, and an indoor skating rink. Its redevelopment created a small hotel in Charleston’s historic and antique-oriented King Street district.

  Action taken

  The building was restored and opened as Kings Courtyard Inn, retaining its historic architectural character and incorporating its courtyards and garden into the lodging concept.

  Aftermath

  The property became a contributing element of the Charleston Historic District and later joined Historic Hotels of America as a founding member.

  Source

1. 1Kings Courtyard Innen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Archive Record: 192–198 King Street (Col. Blum Range a/k/a King's Courtyard Inn)historiccharleston.org
3. 3Kings Courtyard Inn official websitekingscourtyardinn.com