At the intersection of Broad and Market Streets in downtown Charleston one will find the Four Corners of the Law.
On the southwest corner, the U.S. Courthouse and Post Office, designed by John Henry Devereux in the Renaissance Revival style and completed in 1896, embodies federal law.
On the southeast corner sits St. Michael's Church which was built between 1751 and 1761 on the site of an earlier 1681 wooden church that had been damaged in a hurricane in 1710. This structure stands for ecclesiastical law.
On the northeast side of the intersection, representing municipal law, is Charleston’s City Hall, built in 1800 and serving as the City Hall since 1818.
On the northwest corner, symbolizing state law, stands the Charleston County Courthouse completed in 1792. The courthouse was designed by architect James Hoban, who is best known for designing the White House.
On the southwest corner, the U.S. Courthouse and Post Office, designed by John Henry Devereux in the Renaissance Revival style and completed in 1896, embodies federal law.
On the southeast corner sits St. Michael's Church which was built between 1751 and 1761 on the site of an earlier 1681 wooden church that had been damaged in a hurricane in 1710. This structure stands for ecclesiastical law.
According to Ripley’s Believe It or Not, which popularized the notion of the Four Corners of Law in the 1930’s, this configuration is unique in US city planning. If anyone knows of a similar convergence of legal structures, please let me know.
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