Southern Charm's Patricia Altschul's Historic Charleston Estate

When Southern Charm first aired in 2014, viewers got to see an inside look into the lives of socialites living in Charleston, South Carolina. One of these socialites was Patricia Altschul, who became a major figure on the Bravo reality TV series.

Mother to Whitney Sudler-Smith, Miss Patricia lives a granduer life, which includes having a butler to make her martinis and getting her dog's faces embroidered on her pillows. However, it's her Charleston home that has really impressed fans and viewers of the show.

In Season 10, viewers watched as Miss Patricia spoke more about the historic mansion, including selling it to her son and how important it was to keep up with the iconic estate so that it doesn't lose its charm.

Patricia Altschul Sold Her Iconic Charleston Estate To Her Son, Whitney Sudler-Smith

Patricia Altschul from Southern Charm on WWHL — Patricia Altschul from Southern-Charm on WWHL

In Season 10, Episode 4, viewers watched Miss Patricia talk about her upcoming birthday plans, but while discussing her event, she also speaks to her son, Whitney, about how he now owns "all of this"—meaning her iconic and historic Charleston estate.

Whitney now owns his mother's glorious mansion, and in a confessional, Miss Pat shared why it made sense to have her son buy it from her.

"Several years ago, we had a meeting with our lawyers and estate planners and money manager. And they said when I kick the bucket, Whitney is gonna have to pay, I don’t know, 46 percent in [inheritance tax], or something extraordinary," she said.

“The house is now worth, I don’t know, $15 million or something. So we decided that Whitney should buy the house from me and put it in his own trust."

But, owning such an eclectic home also comes with a lot of responsibilities, including keeping the home maintained to utter perfection.

Miss Pat gave her son a rundown of all the necessary upkeep the old house needed, which included gardeners, painters, electricians, upholstery specialists, and even a certain type of lily for the pond.

“There are a million things to keep up with an old home," Patricia tells her son. "It’s like curating a museum without public funding," Whitney jokes.

Fans Loved Watching The Charleston Socialite Open Up About Selling Her Historic Home

People have been fascinated by Miss Patricia and her lavish Charleston home ever since she began sharing it on Season 1 of Southern Charm. Her estate has been a constant place for cast members to meet, as Miss Pat is known for her exclusive dinners and lavish parties.

Although she has given a number of tours of the residence for news outlets, seeing her talk in more detail about the mansion in Season 10 was a real treat for fans.

"I know it’s tacky to talk about money, but I actually appreciate Pat and Whitney talking about estate planning on TV! It’a an important subject and too many people are too scared of death to talk about it and then are left blindsided," a commenter on a Reddit thread shared.

Patricia has been married three times. She was married to her first husband, L. Hayes Smith from 1962-1979. He is Whitney's father. Miss Pat's second husband was doctor and entrepreneur Edward Stitt, who she was married to from 1989-1995. Her third husband was Arthur Goodhart Altschul, a general partner in the investment banking firm Goldman, Sachs & Company, and an art collector. The two were married from 1996-2002, the year of his death.

The thread even had commenters reliving their own experiences about the ins and outs of estate planning, as it isn't an easy process. Seeing Whitney's mother plan it all out for him before she were to pass away would be extremely helpful to him in the long run.

"My late husband was sick for 4 years and we had a lot of time to do a lot of planning and prep. Even then, it was still overwhelming," a user shared.

"I lost my Dad when I was 12. So please take this from someone who has been through a tonne of stuff, estate planning matters. You're never too young for planning your estate, your advanced health directives, power of attorney and will. Doing all of this will mean so much to your loved ones and will make their lives easier," another user wrote.

Miss Patricia's Home Is A Charleston Landmark

Miss Pat's home, or should we now say, Whitney's new abode, is a Charleston landmark. The 9,500 sq. ft. house was built in the early 1850s and was named the Isaac Jenkins Mikell House. For the first 30 years, the house acted as the city's library and was later made into apartments. It was later restored and revived to its original charm as a home, with Miss Pat getting a huge helping hand from decorator Mario Buatta, who has even made an appearance on Southern Charm.

Having kept the home intact and in all its glory, it "was honored at the Preservation Society of Charleston’s 2012 Carolopolis Awards for outstanding historic preservation."

When Miss Pat spoke to Charleston Home & Design, she admitted that it took her three years to find a home like this one. "I had been down here to Charleston three times before to look at other houses, but I would drive by this one and tell the realtor that this is the type of house I’m looking for. So, when it came on the market I bought it immediately; I didn’t have any reservations.”

She also added that every room in the house "is used." “I entertain here [the drawing room], and when I’m on the house phone I go in the morning room. A lot of times when I’m reading, I’ll go in the library and have a cocktail in there. After dinner, people go in there and have after-dinner drinks and Whitney’s friends smoke cigars in there," she said.

Whitney had also recently given a short tour of the estate. He pointed out the many antique and priceless pieces inside that included an 18th-century chinoiserie cabinet, wallpaper that is only ever seen at the White House, and a stunning Waterford chandelier. He also showed fans the original French doors that open up to a remarkable balcony with Corinthian columns that were crafted from tree trunks.

Of course, Whitney also showed off a separate building that acted as his bar/office. And, it was just as incredible.