Many of the old homes along the Charleston main streets have an arched doorway as you enter.

These was shot from the homes front entrance.

What I have discovered is there was more than decoration to this.

Homes on these streets were often used for business also. The front, of the first floor, reserved for this purpose.

When entering a house to conduct business no one ever walked through the archway. The other side was the residence, any rooms before the arch were reserved for business.