Three centuries of gathering. A space that remembers.
Colonial Origins
1680 — 1778
1680
Lot 19 in the Grand Model of Charles Towne
The property served as the southern boundary of Lot 19, an original town lot stretching along the west side of East Bay Street.
With proximity to commercial wharves at the peninsula's eastern edge, the lot was owned by several merchants throughout the colony's first decades.
1725
Unity Alley is born
The alley was officially established after approximately five feet of land was taken from Lot 17 for use as a passage.
1767
Flemish bond brickwork suggests high importance
The north side of Unity Alley comprised three tenements. The existing hand-made brick laid in Flemish bond — the most expensive construction method — indicates a structure of significance.
1778
Edward McCrady acquires the property
Irish immigrant and barber Edward McCrady purchased the lot — likely damaged by a devastating fire that destroyed much of East Bay Street.
McCrady merged two properties to construct what would become McCrady's Tavern at 153 East Bay Street, with No. 2 Unity Alley as its rear structure.
The Tavern Era
1783 — 1806
1783
McCrady's Tavern first advertised
After returning from imprisonment as a prisoner of war following the Siege of Charleston, McCrady advertised his tavern in the South-Carolina Weekly Gazette.
c. 1788
The Long Room is constructed
No. 2 Unity Alley was built as the rear structure to McCrady's Tavern — a brick kitchen on the ground floor, fronted by an arcade and courtyard, with the grand Long Room upstairs.
Already operating a successful tavern in the city's most economically prominent location, McCrady built the Long Room to enhance his accommodations.
1789
July 4th celebration in the Long Room
The Society of the Cincinnati — a benevolent organization for officers of the Continental Army — held a formal dinner to celebrate America's independence.
The New Market Jockey Club also met here, and a concert of vocal and instrumental music was performed.
1791
President Washington dines in the Long Room
President George Washington dined with members of the Society of the Cincinnati in the Long Room, decorated with laurel, flowers, and accompanied by a choir.
The gathering included the governor, members of congress, foreign consuls, and statesmen including General William Moultrie and General Charles Cotesworth Pinckney.
1790
A stage for Charleston's elite
The Free and Accepted Masons, the Society of the Cincinnati, the St. Cecelia Society, and others held parties, theater performances, and political business within the Long Room.
A mayoral election was celebrated here, court sessions were held to elect congressmen, and public performances of poetry and Shakespeare drew the city's finest.
1799
Jessop's Hotel opens
After McCrady closed the tavern in 1792, the complex was reopened as Jessop's Hotel — a well-known and frequented tavern.
Coffee & Commerce
1825 — 1863
1825
The Commercial Coffee House
No. 2 Unity Alley and 153 East Bay became the Commercial Coffee House, with the Long Room as an entertainment and meeting venue and the downstairs kitchen servicing the house.
1830
The French Coffee House
Louis Eude transformed the property, advertising French coffee, Spanish chocolate, punch, lemonade, wine, and elegant billiard tables.
1859
A catwalk spans the alley
Owner P.J. Coogan petitioned to connect the north and south sides of Unity Alley with a platform — the first proposed catwalk, a feature that has endured to this day.
Coogan also added a bowling saloon inside No. 2 Unity Alley, connected to the tavern, replacing the historic kitchen on the ground floor.
1863
The Civil War shutters the French Coffee House
A 587-day Union assault on Charleston commenced. The French Coffee House was deemed untenable due to the bombardment and closed for the duration of the war.
The French Coffee House never reopened at the East Bay Street address.
Industry & Reinvention
1868 — 1961
1868
The Daily News moves in
The newspaper relocated to the building, well-known to every Charlestonian. The Long Room was outfitted as a printing facility.
1886
The Great Earthquake
The devastating earthquake left No. 2 Unity Alley's east wall badly cracked, a chimney tumbled, and the south wall recommended for partial demolition.
1894
Daggett Printing Company warehouse
The Daggett Printing Co. began using No. 2 Unity Alley as storage — a use that would continue for the next 68 years, through two world wars.
1928
A forgotten room remembered
The Evening Post described the Long Room's condition: a stage, old dressing rooms, and a mahogany curtain still survived within — a living witness to the city's storied past.
Rediscovery
1971 — Present
1971
Saved from demolition
A demolition permit was filed, but the Historic Charleston Foundation launched a fight to save the building. A 300-signature petition and group protest led to the permit's denial.
The Foundation compared No. 2 Unity Alley's significance to that of the Old Exchange Building, calling it of great value to the city.
1972
National Register of Historic Places
No. 2 Unity Alley and 153 East Bay were listed on the National Register as an increasingly rare architectural and functional structure. A major restoration began.
1982
$700,000 restoration completed
Archaeology uncovered the site's 18th-century foodways, an 1844 slave tag, musket balls, brass cuff links, a well, and the original brick floor of the courtyard.
McCrady's was recognized as one of the few documentable 18th century taverns still in existence in the country.
1995
The Long Room returns
A 70-table French restaurant opened on the first floor and an exclusive club on the second — the Long Room returned to its original purpose after over a century as a warehouse.
2026
Chameleon Club opens in the Long Room
A private, invite-only club takes residence in the Long Room — continuing a legacy of gathering that began over two centuries ago.