A Brief History of Catfish Row 

Just blocks away from the colorful highlights of Rainbow Row sit two pre-Revolutionary buildings with a varied history of their own whose rich but controversial past is sung about to this day.  

The Charleston structures that sit at 89-91 Church St. have a history largely lost to the sands of time. Built sometime right before the Revolutionary War, the house had several different uses not the least of which, was as a counting house. Like so many others in the area affected by fire, flood or other natural disaster, the Charleston Earthquake of 1886 caused them to fall into disrepair and end up as tenement housing for the freed African American slaves. But not before spending time as a brothel first.  

Taking a second to look at the odd construction of the building... Rather than being two separate structures standing on their own, this pair of houses are joined by an arcade in the middle. No Pac-Man here. An arcade is a series of arches creating a covered walkway.  

The roof of the building is a French-style Mansard, meaning that is a pair of slopes on all sides of the roof, the lower being considerably steeper, which allows the attic to be a livable space as well.  In this case, it's missing the dormer windows.   

If you walk down this same street, you may see a pair of houses that look eerily similar at 83-85 Church. But Cabbage Row towers over this two-story pair with a third full story. Packing in up to ten African American families at once, the houses on church would sell cabbages right from their windowsills and doorstep.  

Ironically, most of the history of these buildings are intrinsically tied to the fictionalized history of Charleston. Enter “Porgy.” “Porgy” was a book written and released in 1925 by Duboise Heyward. But gone are the cabbages grown in the garden in the open-air area in-between houses. Moved are the bricks residing blocks away from the waterfront. Added are seafood and the ocean front view.  

Crafting a story loosely based on the lives of Samuel Smalls and Maggie Barnes, Heyward would eventually have his book adapted several times, the most famous by George and Ira Gershwin.  

First performed in Boston on September 30, 1935, “Porgy and Bess” would grow into an American institution. But not before much controversy.  Some have argued that its use of African American stereotypes of the time erase any validity of the artistic value of the overall piece. Others argue that its use of real-world Gullah and all black cast was representative in a way unforetold at the time of its release. It will forever be part of the discussion whether the opera is worthy of praise.  

Regardless, “Summertime” is a staple of the American Opera repertoire and the 2012 Broadway version was nominated for 10 Tony awards, winning Best Revival of a Musical and Best Actress in a Musical for Audra McDonald.  

Before the success of the opera in the late 30s, Loutrel Briggs purchased the structures in 1928 only to sell them to Charles H. Gibbs in 1955. In recent history, the buildings served as an antique map and print shop continuing the artistic connection.  

Now, anyone searching for Cabbage Row might get lost walking down the street looking for this historic landmark. The sign above the archway prominently declares the name “Catfish Row.” A fictional history has superseded that of a place in time that was very real.  

~ Brandon L. Joyner