Next door to City Hall, the old courthouse rounds out Charleston’s historic civic heart. The structure dates back to 1753, when the Carolina statehouse was built on this site, but was reconstructed in 1792 in a grand Neoclassical style for use as the Charleston district courts. It was conceived by Irish architect James Hoban, best known for designing The White House in Washington D.C. a few years later. Today the courthouse is still in use, but is definitely worth a peek inside—it’s open to the public during normal business hours. A small display on the first floor charts the history of the building, with the walls lined with portraits of South Carolina’s great and good.