Ansonborough Inn Review

The Ansonborough Inn, The Ansonborough Inn, located just a few blocks up from the bustling corner of East Bay and Market Streets in downtown Charleston Historic District is a delightful combination of the intimacy of the antique inn while providing the open and spacious feel of a larger hotel. Formerly a paper warehouse in the early 1900s, the building has undergone many transformations to bring it to the comfortable quarters it is today.

The high, exposed beamed ceiling in the lobby creates the illusion that one has entered a private courtyard and as one looks up, each level of the inn and the entrance to every suite glows with gas lamps. The masculinity and intensity of the exposed rough-hewn timbers are vastly softened by large oriental rugs, live green plants, rich and gleaming hardwood floors, inviting, soft leather furniture, and original oil paintings crafted by artisans with not just a little talent. The solid antique wood interior is uniform from the lobby to the rooftop and also in many of the 45 rooms, showing a glimpse of brick to remind one of the origins of the building. But make no mistake; the Ansonborough Inn is no warehouse. The lobby and common areas are outfitted with appropriately oversized and beautiful antiques along with some interesting showpieces likely from some sea captain's travels about the world giving a further impression of a site filled with the secrets of history. The bar exudes an atmosphere of a men's pub with an added touch of luxury with stately paneling and fireplace.