Guardians
at the Gate
by Amy Stockwell
In June 2020, an Augusta, Ga., developer bought a 2.2-acre site on the south side of Calhoun Street for $12 million from the Medical University of South Carolina. A year later, they submitted a proposal for 295 Calhoun Street, a massive, eight-story mixed-use building of apartments, retail and parking, to the Board of Architectural Review (BAR). Following pushback from residents and advocates, the BAR denied the request based on the building’s inappropriate design. When little changed in a second submission, the BAR again rejected it for being far too tall and out of place given its sensitive location abutting historic Harleston Village neighborhood on Alberta Sottile Long Lake. The developer sued, questioning the BAR’s integrity and raising doubt about the city’s authority to oversee building in the historic district, which, if granted, could threaten the very essence of Charleston.
And there to stand up for Charleston, as it has for 100 years, was the Preservation Society of Charleston (PSC), including its team of graduates from the College’s Historic Preservation and Community Planning Program (HPCP). The society filed a motion to intervene in the case, and a judge granted it.
“What’s happening at 295 Calhoun St. is a great example of how our preservation work is about advocacy and being a voice for the community,” says Erin Minnigan Mehard ’13, the PSC’s director of preservation and planning. “The out-of-town project team put forth a design that was overly massive for the site, out of scale with the adjacent historic context and unrelated to Charleston’s unique character, yet included a request for an additional floor based on architectural merit. The judge recognized that we are an important player in the process by granting our request to intervene. This is a big deal for us to have a seat at the table to represent the concerns of Charleston residents.”
“As development pressures continue to grow, the Preservation Society remains actively engaged to not only protect historic structures, but to ensure new construction is compatible with our historic neighborhoods and commercial districts,” says Sam Spence ’08, director of public affairs at the PSC, adding that another timely example is the development of Union Pier. “It’s one of the projects we’ve heard the most about from our members and presents a huge opportunity for Charleston.”
The 65-acre site has been a working waterfront for centuries and includes at least five historical wharves where thousands of newly arrived enslaved Africans were bought and sold.
In recent years, the site has served as a cruise terminal and an offloading point for large cargo, such as cars produced upstate. The South Carolina Ports Authority, which owns the site, has been wanting to redevelop Union Pier since 1990 and expand the cruise-ship business, which the PSC has consistently opposed. In 2020, the ports authority hired Los Angeles–based Lowe Enterprises to create a master plan, while giving Lowe right of first refusal to purchase and develop the property. But the plan was incompatible with Charleston’s historic environment. Thanks to efforts by the PSC and others, the ports authority pivoted in 2023 to present a new planning process with the College’s Joseph P. Riley Jr. Center for Livable Communities at the helm. Another good sign: In March, the ports authority agreed to sell the site to local businessman and philanthropist Ben Navarro, who envisions “a neighborhood Charleston deserves.”
Before & After | Boone Hall Plantation
The sites at 295 Calhoun St. and Union Pier are obvious symbols of the large-scale development becoming more common in downtown Charleston. But just four blocks east of 295 Calhoun St. is a Smith Street home built on two 18th-century African American cemeteries that’s a great example of where Preservation Society’s day-to-day work operates in a more sensitive context, delving into the quiet complexities of Charleston’s long history.
In 2021, renovation work of the private home at 88 Smith Street was temporarily halted over concerns about the burial site. The PSC and archaeology experts, including R. Grant Gilmore III, director of the College’s HPCP Program, were engaged, and the city ultimately adopted a new gravesite protection ordinance that could prevent disturbances where burial sites are likely to be present. The challenge with this ordinance for developers and preservationists is that the locations of many these sites are often unknown.
“Charleston’s Black history has long been underrepresented and under-protected, and burial grounds are no exception,” says Anna-Catherine Alexander ’18, manager of preservation initiatives at the PSC. Alexander oversees the PSC’s research programs and supports advocacy efforts on issues and projects impacting Charleston’s historic built environment.
Before & After | 94 Sheppard St.
“As Charleston grows and develops, Black burial sites are at greater risk,” says Alexander. “The Mapping Charleston’s Black Burial Grounds project is intended to strengthen community awareness of and protections for these sacred places.”
Preservation Stories
Ten out of the 18 staff members at the PSC are College alumni whose passions for preservation began as undergrads in the HPCP Program.
“As karma would have it, I quickly fell in love with Charleston’s history and architecture after moving here for college,” she adds. “It’s funny how people change. The quirky historic features I hated in my childhood home are now the exciting details I adore working in and around old houses.”
Madison Lee ’22, the PSC’s community outreach coordinator, credits her father, a local carpenter, for her origin story. She has fond memories of riding around in his car to visit various historic downtown properties where he was working. “He always told me there was so much we could learn from the past and that historic buildings help teach those lessons,” she says.
She’s using the lessons she learned from her father in her day-to-day work. “Preservation is about the people, the culture and the livability of the city,” says Lee. “My job is to empower people by giving them the tools to maintain and uphold the distinctive character, quality of life and diverse neighborhoods that make our community unique.”
Lee isn’t talking about physical tools like a brush, trowel or sieve; she’s talking about educating people about the significance of their neighborhoods and helping them navigate complicated bureaucratic processes. Lee recently worked with a group of students from the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts, College of Charleston and Benedict College on an alternative spring break program in partnership with the International African American Museum and the Anson Street African Burial Grounds Project to document a local cemetery. After visiting at-risk burial sites citywide, participants learned to use ArcGIS Survey123 as a cemetery mapping tool and worked alongside descendants to document Brotherly Association Cemetery, an African American burial society cemetery founded in 1857.
Before & After | Starlight Motor Inn
It’s not too much of a stretch to imagine that one day, that alternative spring break experience might become one of those student’s preservation origin story.
The origin story of Laurel Fay ’16, preservation coordinator, dates back to her great-grandfather who worked on the original ceiling mural in Grand Central Terminal in New York City in 1913 and its restoration in 1944.
“Nearly 50 years later, my father’s cousin led the 1990 restoration of the mural,” says Fay. “My father commuted into the city at that time and, incredibly, didn’t realize it was his cousin up there on the scaffolding for months. This family legend has inspired my love of historic preservation, architecture and archiving.”
Many alumni start their journey with the PSC in the organization’s retail shop at 147 King St., including current retail associates Kendra Rodell ’19, Katherine Uptegrove ’24, Kerry Campion ’24 and rising senior Emily Carpenter. (The shop is stocked with wares from local artisans, with the proceeds benefiting the mission, not to mention the craft people, who collectively net close to $1 million each year.)
Preservation Starts at Home
“In other words, the average age of buildings is adjusted based on the impact of recapitalization, which inherently extends the useful life of the building,” says Morris. “For example, after investing $5.75 million in 58 George, constructed in 1803, the building will now have a revised age of less than 5 years old. It really puts our efforts into perspective.”
But structural maintenance is just part of the preservation process, which also includes researching and writing stories about the people who lived there. Morris says the historic character of the College’s campus is part of the educational experience.
“You can learn many of the same subjects elsewhere but not with the same perspective,” says Morris. “The historic nature of our campus tells a story of our past and is etched in the memories of our alumni. It’s what inspires students to attend and helps to maintain a sense of place in their hearts. As stewards of this campus, we are tasked with the duty of preserving and maintaining our facilities, which we take very seriously.”
One great example of that is 14 Green Way. Research conducted on the house revealed that it was built in 1872 for A.O. Jones, an African American man who was a clerk of the South Carolina House of Representatives during Reconstruction. A student discovered Jones’ initials on the front door, verifying the hypothesis. If the door had not been saved, that piece of history would have been lost.
These buildings are a “living lab” for students in the College’s HPCP Program, the largest undergraduate program of its kind in the U.S. and one of the oldest. It’s also the only one combining historic preservation with community planning and urban design.
“We’re very proud that our program gives students the opportunity to be participants in activist preservation efforts with the Preservation Society of Charleston,” says R. Grant Gilmore III, director of HPCP. “It exemplifies the positive changemakers that we hope to create. HPCP students learn within the context of Charleston’s living laboratory.”
For her senior thesis, Campion researched 58 George Street, a historic property that the College acquired in the 1970s. Her research focused on Gibbes Elliott, one of the original owners, who was an early preservationist and philanthropist. Local architect and former CofC Professor of Art and Architecture Albert Simons contributed to the initial restoration of the property. The house was used for offices and classrooms, and at one time was the John M. Rivers Communication Museum. The home is still filled with an impressive collection of antique radios, televisions, phonographs, telephones, projectors and other items related to the history of the communications and broadcasting fields.
“Fifty-eight George Street is one of the earliest buildings on CofC’s campus, and the PSC is supportive of its much-needed rehabilitation,” says Alexander. “We also think the proposed addition is a successful example of contemporary, institutional design that respects its historic surroundings. At the BAR’s conceptual review, we provided constructive comments on design enhancements for the addition to allow it to engage as sensitively as possible with the circa 1803 building, and look forward to working with the College and its architect as the project progresses.”
Protecting History
Living Lab
- Randolph Hall
- Towell Library
- Porter’s Lodge
- President’s House
- Sottile House
- Sottile Theatre
- Silcox Gymnasium
- Blacklock House
- Avery Research Center
- 105 Wentworth St., Septima P. Clark birthplace
Before & After | 123 King St.
In recognizing the existential threat that climate change poses, the PSC is now awarding Carolopolis Awards for expertise in the raising of historic homes to prevent them from flooding – a huge concern lately for the PSC staff, not to mention the public.
“The next 10 years are about shifting focus to planning and zoning issues for coastal areas – keeping history above water and providing guidance on adaptation strategies for properties in flood-prone areas,” says Mehard.
The Preservation Society of Charleston’s ongoing work demonstrates the importance of advocacy in the face of rapid development and shifting environmental conditions. Through education, advocacy and direct action, the PSC works to protect the city’s rich history with the help of dedicated alumni like Mehard, Spence, Alexander, Swift, Lee, Fay and others who found their passion for preservation in the College of Charleston’s living laboratory.
“The College of Charleston’s undergraduate preservation program has proven to be an effective training ground for professionals who think creatively about architectural and cultural preservation, and also passionate advocates for Charleston’s role in the national movement,” says Brian Turner, the society’s president and CEO. “We’re lucky so many HPCP grads return or stay in Charleston to work at the Preservation Society.”