Charleston · French Quarter and City Market
Mills House
A 1967–70 rebuild of Otis Mills's 1853 hotel at Meeting and Queen streets, reconstructed to the original layout with salvaged elements.
- Built
- 1967–70Original Mills House Hotel opened 1853 (architect John E. Earle); the decayed building was rebuilt from 1967 as a reconstruction of the original layout and reopened in 1970. Guests sleep in the 1970 building.
- Style
- Italianate (reconstruction)
- Architect
- John E. Earle (1853 original)
- Type
- Grand hotel
- Area
- French Quarter and City Market
- Credentials
- Inside a National Register historic district; Historic Hotels of America member
The story
Grain exporter Otis Mills, who came to Charleston from Massachusetts in 1836, had architect John E. Earle build a five-story Italianate hotel at Queen and Meeting streets, opened in 1853. It was renamed the St. John’s Hotel under Cecilia Lawton in the early 20th century and hosted Theodore Roosevelt during the 1902 South Carolina Inter-State and West Indian Exposition. A preservation-minded group bought the neglected building in 1967 and, finding it beyond repair, rebuilt it to the original layout, reusing salvageable elements, reopening in 1970. It later operated as a Hyatt, a Holiday Inn and a Wyndham before joining Hilton’s Curio Collection.
Good to know
- Breakfast: available
- Parking: on-site paid
- Pets welcome
- Address: 115 Meeting Street, Charleston, SC 29401
Things to do
Tours in Charleston
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Sources (2)
Last verified October 2026. Details change; confirm with the inn before you book.