The work of Clark & Menefee is a key vector of interest in the essential character of materials, the syntax and details of making buildings of mass and lightness, and the relationship of a building to the surrounding landscape. The 8 Bedons Alley project is published in the out-of-print monograph, Clark & Menefee, by Richard Jensen. The following description is quoted from the chapter on the Coker House, named for the client of the project.
The Coker House is situated in the oldest part of Charleston, within the precinct once dedicated to commercial shipping. The original structure was a warehouse built around 1780, a simple elongated masonry building with two loft-like floors overlooking a walled courtyard. In the 1930s it was significantly altered into a residence, resulting in several additions into the courtyard and the partitioning of the lofts into a formal, single house plan.
The design intention was to return the structure to its original character while outfitting it to the needs of the new owners as a townhouse. The interior was completely gutted and rebuilt to it original form, including the replacement of beams and the entire roof structure. The additions were demolished in order to reclaim the courtyard. A modern extension was added to house a stair and services including a kitchen, utility room, dressing room and bathrooms. The original warehouse lofts are used as living and dining on the ground floor and bedroom and study above.
The new extension contrasts the traditional warehouse construction: an exposed concrete and steel frame holding a glass vitrine opening onto the courtyard garden. A steel and sandblasted glass scrim rises two stories from the entry separating the kitchen and dressing room above from a new mahogany stair.
The courtyard is paved in a traditional Charleston bluestone. A water rill at the edge of the pavement leads to a black reflecting pool beneath an existing flowering peach tree.