Last month, the Wall Street Journal mentioned that Bank of America chief executive Kenneth D. Lewis was having trouble selling his vacation home in South Carolina. Today with Lewis in the news for his testimony in Washington D.C. it's a good time to revisit this charming summer home. Mr. Lewis bought the home with Dennis Thompson, founder and CEO of Charlotte, N.C.-based restaurant operator Firebirds International in 2002 for $3 million.

The charming home was designed by Mark P. Finlay and featured in the June 2000 issue of Architectural Digest. It has three bedrooms and 5,734 square feet of space. It includes antique heart pine and English limestone flooring, a large screening room and a two-car garage with office and security system. The home is located adjacent to a 400-acre nature preserve and has a deepwater dock. It went on the market last year then was pulled off the market but now it is back on and the price was recently cut to $3.3 million meaning that this home likely won't offer much of a return on his investment for Lewis.

I loves these old homes in Charleston, South Carolina. 36 Chapel was built in 1809 by Anthony Vanderhorst Toomer and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The home is located in the historic district of Wraggborough and is surrounding by fencing and mature plantings including a formal parterre garden with rare Drake elms in front, with a private bricked patio and fountain in the rear. The restored home has an entry hall that opens to spacious formal living and dining rooms, leading to an open kitchen with marble counters and island, breakfast area with wet bar, and Wolf and SubZero appliances tucked into brick arches. There is a covered porch off the kitchen which provides easy access to the rear courtyard and features sun and privacy shutters. The family room has a gas-log fireplace and plasma screen television. The second floor master suite includes a private office or nursery room, large walk-in closet and a spacious bath with garden tub and separate shower. There is also awood-paneled library with fireplace on this level; as well as a sunroom which opens onto the upstairs rear piazza. The two guest bedrooms and a full bath are found on the third floor. The entire ground floor is a separate one-bedroom apartment or guest suite with a full kitchen and bath. This home is listed at $2.1 million.

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Today's home takes us to a peaceful spot in Okatie, South Carolina. This gracious home has a stucco exterior, metal roof, generous porches and verandahs, and very open comfortable living area. There are three large bedrooms and a bonus room which has over 550 square feet that could easily be made into a fourth bedroom, playroom or office. The first floor includes the master bedroom, the large kitchen and breakfast area-with a fireplace-into the living and dining area and outside to the porches and verandas. Other features include a wood-paneled office, a formal dining room, art studio and wet bar. There is also a two bedroom guest cottage with a complete kitchen and large living room with fireplace. The home is on nearly ten acres and the Twin Pipes Pond meanders by the side of the home. It is listed at $3.75 million.

The home is part of Spring Island, a master-planned community about a half hour away from Hilton Head, that includes a private Arnold Palmer-designed golf course, 30-acre equestrian facility with 35 miles of riding trails, private tennis and fitness facilities, community boat docks; 33 freshwater and saltwater fishing lakes and a 1,200-acre nature preserve and wildlife
education center.

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Estate commenter Spectacular Bid first mentioned this estate on this site a year ago when we were looking at another Aiken, South Carolina property, which is also still up for sale. The Sandhurst Estate is a Stanford White designed Winter Colony estate on five equestrian acres. It has an impressive Corinthian columned facade and inside it is a Gilded Age treat with marble baths, hardwood wainscoting and floors and high ceilings. The home was built in 1887 and is part of Aiken's Historic District The 10,500 square foot residence has 11 bedrooms, 10.5 bathrooms and 10 fireplaces and has been used as a bed and breakfast. It is listed at $3.39 million.

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A desirable piece of land often has a long history and such is the case with 19 East Battery in Charleston, South Carolina. The property's enviable waterfront location meant that it was pressed into service as a fort. It was the site of Fort Darrell during the Revolution and later named Fort Mechanic, for the mechanics of the city who gave their labor to build it in 1794 when a French naval invasion was expected. It was then home to the Holmes House before the present yellow brick mansion was built around 1919 for Julius M. Visanka and was designed by architect Albert Simons. When it was built it was one of the grandest homes in the area and it has been in the same family for 66 years. It has panoramic views of Charleston Harbor. The home has a Renaissance style and the interior includes four bedrooms, a formal living room, study, formal dining room, eat-in kitchen, walk in pantry, second floor office and an elevator. The home has plenty of outdoor space including a rear garden with a large in-ground pool. The property includes a detached two car garage with space above for a guest house. This home is listed at $7.3 million.
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I have to applaud the real estate lister for honesty on this one, the listing states that the rooms are "comfortable, but not large." This is the price one pays sometimes for an older home and today's home, a Jonathan Badger tenement, c. 1770 (brick portion possibly dating to circa 1693) in downtown Charleston is definitely old by American standards. This four-bedroom home has maintained many of its original features right down to the 1770 lock on the front door. The first floo has a formal living room, music room and formal dining room with fireplaces, beautiful moldings and high ceilings. The kitchen has wall ovens, an electric cooktop with ventilated grill, a built-in microwave, refrigerator, trash compactor, instant hot water dispenser, garbage disposal, and ice maker and a walk-in pantry offers storage. Adjoining the kitchen is a small den with a large brick fireplace. The second level includes the master bedroom with a large walk-in closet/dressing room as well as a lady's dressing room with a fireplace, multiple closets, and a vanity. The full bath contains two sinks, a bidet, toilet, jacuzzi tub, and separate shower. A drawing room/library offers a fireplace flanked by built-ins. Two additional rooms, which could serve as a bedroom, study/office, or sitting room, share a full bath. On the third level, there are two more bedrooms which share a full bath. The private and gated bricked driveway can accommodate parking for 4 cars and there is a formal garden with azaleas, camellias, loquats, mini magnolias, yew, juniper, and 120 rose bushes. If your furniture is small and your heart is traditional, this is one great place. It is listed at $2,625,000.

South Carolina's Hilton Head is home to many newer houses and overall they seem to have a higher taste quotient than other newer homes in hot areas. Today's example takes the traditional plantation style and luxes it up in a style that is elegant but also casual. The home is 7,200 square feet with a great room, living room, gourmet kitchen and a large veranda. There are five bedrooms including a master suite with his and hers baths, dual offices, a dressing room, exercise room and two balconies. The waterfront property also includes a lap pool with a waterfall spa. It is listed at $8.25 million.

For the next couple of weeks we will be checking out some homes in the most expensive zip codes in the United States, up today, 29401. This zip code refers to the beautifully historic town of Charleston, South Carolina. This zip code in the fast-growing Southern city has a median price of $1,590,000 with an appreciation of 228% since 1990.

To explore this town we've got one beauty of an old home. This home on King Street in the historic district is the Patrick O'Donnell house it was built by O'Donnell over the period of 1852-1870 who was building the house for his bride but took so long finishing the job that his fiancé married another. The home was once lived in by the women who inspired the character of Melanie in Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind.

The home has an 18th century Venetian palazzo exterior with a cross-ventilated New York brownstone interior and wide Charleston-style porches. The home has been beautifully restored. Details to swoon for include random width heart pine floors, heavy moldings and ceiling medallions, 11 fireplaces with faux marble mantles, French doors and an antique elevator. The kitchen has modern appliances such as Gaggenau ovens, Gaggenau commercial gas range, SubZero refrigerator and a walk-in wine cooler in a setting of exposed brick with a pressed tin ceiling. There is a billiards room, a cherry library with a track ladders, a bar room, guest bedroom with a cedar closet, large master suite, a bedroom with built-in children's beds and another guest room. The fifth floor is home to a rooftop deck, wet bar and outdoor shower. The property also includes a pool and a three-car garage and there is a guest house with a galley kitchen, bedroom and living room. This home is listed at $7.895 million.

This home in the Middleton Plantation area of Charleston, South Carolina has a calm and secluded plot with plenty of gardens and greenery, two ponds and three decks. The home was built in 1982 and could appear dated but the the owners have really gone all out to modernize the interior with a rather stark contemporary palette. The home has four bedrooms and is approximately 6,000 square feet. It is listed at just $1.35 million.

Fairfield Plantation is a lovely 18th Century Georgian manor located in a small town near Columbia, SC. This one is an old beauty complete with a listing on the National Historic Register. The home is on 175 acres. The property is surrounded by a blue granite fence. The five-bedroom house has been well restored preserving most of its charm (perhaps the kitchen could use an upgrade). Like yesterday's home in Washington D.C., this one has original chandeliers and fireplaces in nearly every room. The grounds include decorative fountains and a pool, a garden room and guest house, wine cellar ,carriage house, and gate house. This estate is listed at $4.3 million.

Luxury is coming to Greenville, South Carolina in the form of the Peacock Hotel & Spa. The eight story building will include a 75-room luxury boutique hotel, 10,000-square feet of meeting and banquet space and a a 6,000-square foot spa. The tower also includes eight luxury residences which sold out, reportedly for around $1 million each. The hotel has now put their hotel suites on the market and have sold 10 out of 12 of them. The hotel is set to open in eearly 2009 and the average room rate will be $270.

Charleston, South Carolina has some of the most beautifully preserved homes I have ever seen. This one dates back to 1805. The home has triple-tiered columned piazzas, nine-over-nine windows and beautifully proportioned rooms. The home has been updated with spa tubs and modern appliances in the kitchen with its simple wood cabinets. The former carriage house serves as his and hers offices and also includes a wine cellar, powder room, laundry room and storage. There are six wood-burning fireplaces in the home. The exterior includes a koi pond and the former pool house does duty as an exercise room or a place for entertaining. This home is listed at $4.75 million. Pictures are after the jump or a bit larger in the gallery.

The Academy comes by its name honestly. The 3.19 acre estate in Aiken, South Carolina was once home to Saint Angela's Academy and still bears the sign from the school. This newer build has three bedrooms including a master suite with a poolside loggia. The home has a classic South Carolina horse country style with a paneled library, country kitchen and dormer windows. The land includes a barn, saltwater pool and an orangerie. This home is listed at $4.5 million. Pictures are both after the jump and in the gallery.

It takes an extreme college football fan to buy a condo just because it is near the stadium. But in South Carolina, being a Gamecocks fan is serious business. There are four condo complexes around Williams-Brice Stadium including the Stadium Village Lofts. The condos which can cost from $200,000 to $750,000 each can be used as regular living spaces but some dedicated fans have bought in just to be close to the games. The news isn't all rosy, some of the condos have not sold and one complex, The Spur at William-Brice auctioned off their units because of the slow housing market. But as The State reports, for some fans having a place to crash without having to fight stadium traffic is a dream come true.

It's private island time again. This time we are headed to Savage Island, a 413-acre private island adjacent to Hilton Head, South Carolina. The island can be reached in five minutes from a private residence, dock and boat landing on the mainland in Bluffton, SC. The Island and mainland properties are protected by the nature conservancy and the island is a private nature preserve with deer, quail, ducks, heron, wood stork, ibis and shore birds. At the center of the island there is a ten-acre saltwater pond that is home to large spot tail bass and flounder for fly fishing. And big game fishing opportunities for mahi mahi, tuna, marlin and sailfish is within easy reach.

You aren't really buying for the house in this case but the three-bedroom home is a series of pavilions. One is the master suite with his and her baths. A second pavilion is home to a great room that is surrounded by expansive screened porches for outdoor dining. The third pavilion contains the two additional bedrooms and a bath. The compound also includes stables, paddock, dog kennels and a caretaker home. It is listed at $15 million. After the jump, you are going to need a boat or maybe several boats.