Fireproof Building

The Fireproof Building, also known as the County Records Building, is located at 100 Meeting Street, Charleston, South Carolina. Built in 1827, it was the most completely fire-resistant building in America and it is believed to be the oldest fire-resistant building in America today. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1973.Description and historyThe Fireproof Building is set in central Charleston, at the northwest corner of Washington Square. It is a two-story masonry structure, set on a tall stone foundation with an arcade of round-arch openings and built out brick that has been stuccoed to resemble stone. The building is in the Palladian style, with Doric porticoes north and south, and achieves a sophisticated appearance with clean and crisp lines, and relatively little ornamentation. Inside, the building has an oval stair hall lit by a cupola. The stone stairs are cantilevered through three stories.The building was designed by Robert Mills and constructed by John G. Spidle in 1827. Mills, the nation's first domestically-trained architect, was an early advocate of buildings designed to include fire-resistant materials. It was originally used to house offices and records for Charleston County offices. Today, the building is the home of the South Carolina Historical Society.