It is owned by the Historic Charleston Foundation and open to the public as a house museum.

The Historic Charleston Foundation rushed to New York to seal the deal.

Historic Charleston Foundation was the first organization in the country to develop the Revolving Fund as a preservation strategy.

The Aiken-Rhett House remained in the family until 1975 and has been owned by Historic Charleston Foundation since 1995.

"We sought out the partnership," Carter Hudgins, the executive director of the Historic Charleston Foundation, said.

The Historic Charleston Foundation has for 40 years arranged and run tours of selected groups of beautiful homes.

Historic Charleston Foundation is holding its annual Festival of Houses and Gardens through April 13.

The Historic Charleston Foundation, which organized the fair, also sponsors daily tours of private houses and gardens in a festival that continues through April 14.

Officials of the Historic Charleston Foundation just asked about putting it on their house tour.

"People are not allowed to just automatically change the facades," said Kitty Robinson, director of the Historic Charleston Foundation, a preservation group.