Fort Sumter Hotel, 1 King Street

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Description:

Black and white photograph of a bedroom in the Fort Sumter Hotel, located at 1 King Street. Pictured are two twin beds with mahogany headboards and footboards with a small lamp on a table between them. The dresser is just visible in the far left corner and a radiator can be seen below a window with the view of the Ashley River. The window treatments are made up of sheer curtains and a pull-down shade.

The Fort Sumter Hotel was opened in 1923 as the first luxury hotel in Charleston and operated until 1974 when it was converted into condominiums. In February of 1942, John F. Kennedy spent three nights at the hotel with Inga Arvad, a former Miss Denmark and suspected Nazi spy. In July of the same year, the building was rented by the 6th Naval District for their headquarters until 1945 when it was refurbished and reopened as a hotel in 1946.