Our history
The church on Thomas Street
St. Mark's has worshiped in the same wooden temple at Warren and Thomas Streets since 1878.
A lot in Radcliffeborough
In 1870 the young parish bought a lot at the corner of Warren and Thomas Streets, in the Radcliffeborough neighborhood, for about $5,000. The cornerstone was laid in 1875, and the church was consecrated on November 8, 1878. Parish records give different years for the cornerstone, and other sources date the construction to 1875 to 1878 or 1876 to 1878.
A temple built of wood
The church was designed by the Charleston architect Louis J. Barbot. He chose the temple form, with a columned front in the Greek Revival style. The front is often compared to the Maison Carrée, a Roman temple in southern France.
The same temple design had been used for seven other Charleston churches. St. Mark's may be one of the last of its kind built in America, and it is the only one in Charleston built of wood. Inside, stained glass windows show scenes from scripture along with the names of the people who gave them.
Keeping it standing
In the 1980s the exterior was stabilized and rehabilitated with a federal historic preservation grant, matched through the South Carolina Department of Archives and History. The project was directed by Herbert A. DeCosta, Jr., an architect and contractor who belonged to St. Mark's, and the Charleston blacksmith Philip Simmons helped repair the church's iron fence and gate.
On the National Register
St. Mark's was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on January 23, 2026, for its significance to ethnic heritage, religion and architecture in South Carolina and Charleston.
Visit
The church is at 16 Thomas Street. On Sunday mornings you can park in the Ashley Hall lot on Warren and Smith Streets, one block away. The best way to see the inside is to join us for the 10:00 AM service.