[2][3] Twenty-four cottages were constructed beginning in 1887 along with a memorial chapel at the center with a campanile style tower, and it was reserved for white residents.

Today the complex is owned by the Housing Authority of Charleston and the restored cottages are home to persons of low to moderate income.

William Enston was a prosperous furniture maker, merchant, and steamship magnate who left his fortune for the creation of a home for the white elderly.

(later building the large structure still standing at 187-191 King St.[5]) He eventually amassed a fortune through real estate and commercial shipping.

[12] A bust of Enston, sculpted by Virginian sculptor Valentine, and then cast in bronze in New York was order by City Council for the Memorial Hall.

[17] The deal was cancelled in December 1991, however, when the Housing Authority realized the extent of repair work needed (estimated at $1.7 million).

[21] In 2020, a local nonprofit Green Heart, broke ground on a half-acre urban farm which is located in the middle of the complex.