The 12-story hotel was built from plans by noted New York architect William Lee Stoddart during the Charleston Renaissance
Situated on the prominent northwest corner of King and Calhoun streets, the Francis Marion Hotel is pictured under construction with the former Charleston Orphan House and St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church steeple visible in this image taken on October 11, 1922. Named for Revolutionary War hero Francis “Swamp Fox” Marion, the 12-story hotel was built from plans by noted New York architect William Lee Stoddart during the Charleston Renaissance, costing local investors an estimated $1.5 million. When it opened to the public on February 7, 1924, the Francis Marion was the tallest hotel in the Carolinas, standing with a steel frame structure and Beaux-Arts architectural features. In 1952, it became the first fully air-conditioned hotel in Charleston; 32 years later, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. More than a century after its opening, the hotel—which features 234 guest rooms and suites, a spa, and the Swamp Fox restaurant—continues to draw guests from the Lowcountry and beyond.
