Plenge Haberdashery (Hat Man Building)

Description:

Black and white photograph of the general view northwest corner of the Plenge Haberdashery Building (more commonly known as the Hat Man Building) located at 43-47 Broad Street.

Built c. 1855 by saddler and harness makers Charles Love and Conrad M. Wienges it was altered in 1870 by tailor and haberdasher Charles Plenge who added the pressed tin cornice and Italianate facade. The Hat Man painting, located on the west facade of the building, was not added until the late 19th century as signage that quickly became a popular trademark.

Photographer Charles N. Bayless, funded by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, photographed and recorded the Carolina Lowcountry between 1970 and 1988. The South Carolina Project took place between 1977 and 1979.

• Title: Plenge Haberdashery (Hat Man Building)
• Photographer: Bayless, Charles Nield, 1914-1991
• Date: 1977- 1979

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• Collection: Photograph Collection
• Object Name: HABS South Carolina Project
• Object Id: MK 11919
• Address: 43-47 Broad Street

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• Search Terms
  • Cornices
  • Facades
  • Historic buildings