Henry's on the Market Earns Historic Marker

The Preservation Society of Charleston has honored the North Market Street restaurant with a marker recognizing its nearly century-long history.

Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Historical

Historic brick building facade with tall shuttered windows and an iron balcony on a quiet Charleston street, with a bronze plaque beside the door. — Henry's on the Market, which has operated in an original 1841 North Market Street building since 1932, received a historic marker from the Preservation Society of Charleston. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

The Preservation Society of Charleston awarded Henry's on the Market a historic marker, making it the first Market Street property to receive one. The restaurant has operated in an original 1841 building since 1932 and is recognized for almost 100 years of continuous operation.

Why it matters

The marker memorializes the restaurant's long legacy and its role in Charleston's culinary and cultural history. It also highlights how the city's historic buildings can continue to serve active community uses.

The property has been in continuous restaurant use since 1932 and now spans five interconnected historic buildings. Among more than 170 Preservation Society markers across Charleston's peninsula, this one recognizes a property that has operated for almost 100 years.

The players

Preservation Society of Charleston

A Charleston nonprofit that has run a historic marker program since the 1950s to recognize buildings and sites with local historical significance.

Leo Chiagkouris

The owner of Henry's on the Market since 1985, who bought the property with help from his mother and hopes to pass the restaurant down to his children.

The details

Before becoming Henry's in 1932, the North Market Street location housed a German-owned grocery and boarding house, and during Prohibition a men's-only saloon operated in the back as a "blind tiger." Today the property includes a dining room, a speakeasy-style lounge, live music spaces, and a rooftop.

1841: The original building on North Market Street was constructed.
1932: Henry's on the Market began operating in the building.
1950s: The Preservation Society's historic marker program began.
1985: Leo Chiagkouris purchased the then-dilapidated property at age 23.
2032: Henry's on the Market's 100th anniversary is approaching.

Historical Context

The Preservation Society's marker program, which began in the 1950s, has placed more than 170 markers across Charleston's peninsula. Henry's on the Market's recognition extends that program to a working restaurant whose building has hosted grocery, boarding house, and Prohibition-era uses since 1841.

Visitors and residents can now find the marker at the North Market Street restaurant, which serves dining, lounge, live music, and rooftop spaces. The property's five interconnected buildings are open for those looking to see Charleston's historic architecture in an active setting.

The takeaway

Historic buildings can remain in active use for generations when owners invest in preserving them. Henry's on the Market shows how a century-old property can keep serving its community while carrying its past forward.