The Charleston YMCA built the first of these two adjoining structures in 1889, a red brick and sandstone building whose ground floor housed an indoor swimming pool while its upper stories rented out as temporary lodging for members. German immigrant John Rugheimer, who’d worked as a Confederate blockade runner during the Civil War before an injury forced him off ships and into tailoring, built the neighboring structure in 1912 to house his business, John Rugheimer & Sons, giving it a yellow brick facade with granite trim to complement its older neighbor.
Both buildings later served as apartments for decades before a two-year joint renovation, completed in 1994, converted them into guest lodging with modern bathrooms while preserving their original architectural details. In 2008, the buildings were connected by interior hallways to form the 45-room Fulton Lane Inn, tucked into a quiet lane just off King Street in the heart of Charleston’s historic district.