John Izard Middleton (1785-1849) was born into a wealthy and distinguished South Carolina family.  While little is known about his childhood, it is assumed that Middleton would have been taught the classical curriculum that was standard for an aspiring gentleman.  Also, given his family's interest in the arts, he was surely encouraged to practice and develop his artistic abilities.  After traveling through Europe, Middleton became very interested in architecture and refined his artistic and drafting skills.  When he returned to Charleston in 1810, he took on the role of amateur architect, producing several sets of competently rendered plans for houses which were clearly influenced by his travels in Europe, reflecting an innovative assimilation of work he would have seen both in Europe and Charleston, as well as in recent architectural books.

Plan of a House for South Carolina (1811)

This design isof a one-storied villa set on a high basement. The plans call for two semi-circular ended rooms on either side of the front entrance.  Also shown on Middleton's plans are structural details for the roof of the villa.  Both the Front and East Elevations show how the pitched roof was to be partially hidden by a parapet.

House Number Two   (1811)

This design,  like the design for Middleton's House for South Carolina, uses semi-circular rooms and bays, as well as a pitched roof partially hidden by a parapet. The plan calls for two stories over a raised basement.  It is a severely geometric plan and reflects the influence of Middleton's travels.  In particular, the columnaded semi-circular entrance porch with a circular room above it on the second floor, are reminiscent of details he might have seen in Europe.

House Number   Four (1808-1809)

This design calls for a symmetrical two-storied house on a low basement, with semi-hexigonal projections on each side.  The large ballroom, which occupies half of the house, has a raised floor and is open to above.  The other half of the house is devoted to living and bedroom space.   In this particular set, Middleton's use of watercolors to embellish the plans clearly demonstrates his skill as an artist as well as an architect.