Walking in this pre-Civil War SC mansion for auction is like stepping into the past. Take a look
A Charleston harbor front mansion built between 1810 and 1818 will be sold at auction after being on the market for three months.
The listing price for 2 Water Street is $17.9 million and bidding through Sotheby’s Concierge Auctions begins at $7 million on Jan. 15 as part of the auction house’s Visions of America week-long series celebrating art, luxury, and American craftsmanship.
The four-story brick and stucco house has more than 7,700 square feet with six bedrooms and six and a half bathrooms in early 19th-century Federal design. A Second Empire mansard roof was added later.
It overlooks Charleston Harbor and the Cooper River.
The house was built by Nathaniel Ingraham, a merchant who served on naval hero John Paul Jones’s Revolutionary War ship Bon Homme Richard.
In the 1830s Otis Mills, developer of the Mills House, bought the house and the property next door to create the double lot that exists today.
In 1864 it was damaged by Union Army bombardment.
“This home has been meticulously maintained through the decades, allowing its architectural integrity and historic charm to remain beautifully intact,” said listing agent Lisa Patterson of Daniel Ravenel Sotheby’s International Realty. “Its craftsmanship, harbor views, and location on the High Battery make it one of Charleston’s most extraordinary offerings”
The house is also listed by Ruthie Ravenel and Middleton Rutledge, also of Daniel Ravenel Sotheby’s International Realty.
The seawall, known as the High Battery, is just over 1,400 feet long and was built in the early 19th century and created East Battery Street and White Point Garden.
The area includes many antebellum mansions that the real estate company says “defines the city’s identity for more than two centuries.”
The house has multiple formal and informal gathering spaces, a study with millwork, a high basement with finished living areas, and an elevator to the second floor.
The living room has high ceilings, finely carved moldings and fireplace mantels. A drawing room stretches across the front of the house, offering panoramic harbor vistas, including Fort Sumter.
The rooms are painted in various colors that reflect Charleston luxury homes, blue, tan, pink, tangerine. The kitchen has gray cabinets with upscale appliances and faucets and an island.
The main suite has a bathroom, fireplace and overlooks the water.
There is a private Charleston garden, in-ground swimming pool, outdoor terrace and gated off-street parking court.
“Positioned within Charleston’s most exclusive historic district, the property is steps from Rainbow Row, the French Quarter, White Point Garden, waterfront promenades, and iconic dining and cultural institutions, offering the quintessential experience of South of Broad living,” the listing says.
This story was originally published December 19, 2025 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Walking in this pre-Civil War SC mansion for auction is like stepping into the past. Take a look."