71st Carolopolis Awards showcases 27 preservation projects across Charleston area

On Friday, February 21, the Preservation Society of Charleston (PSC) hosted the 71st Carolopolis Awards, presented by Carriage Properties and The Charleston Place. This year, the PSC handed out 27 of the distinctive Carolopolis Award plaques.

“This year’s Carolopolis Awards highlights that projects big and small can show careful dedication to preservation best practices — from a modest freedman’s cottage on the Eastside to the adaptive reuse of massive military warehouses on the former Navy Base,” said Brian Turner, President & CEO of the Preservation Society.

This year, the Carolopolis Awards drew unprecedented interest, with the most awards handed out since 1995, according to Preservation Society records. This year, the Preservation Society handed out its 1,500th award since the program began in 1953.

“Charleston is known as the birthplace of the American historic preservation movement,” said Turner. “Through the Carolopolis program, Charleston continues leading the national conversation about how the building trades can adapt to put an emphasis on repair, rather than replacement or demolition.”

This year’s 27 Carolopolis Awards span downtown, North Charleston, Sullivan’s Island, and include the first-ever Carolopolis Awards on Daniel Island and Folly Beach.

Carolopolis plaques are awarded annually across five categories: Exterior, Interior, New Construction, Resilience, and Pro Merito, which is presented to previous Carolopolis Award-winners that continue to showcase preservation excellence or have undergone a second exterior rehabilitation or restoration.

The awards were handed out Friday, February 21, before a sold-out crowd at The Charleston Place.

ABOUT THE CAROLOPOLIS AWARD:

The Carolopolis Award was created in 1953 to recognize outstanding achievement in historic preservation. The presentation of a Carolopolis Award honors extraordinary private and public efforts to maintain the historic character and authenticity of Charleston and the Lowcountry. To date, the PSC has presented more than 1,500 awards in recognition of such achievement. In 2016, the PSC introduced new awards for the preservation of historic interiors as well as compatible new construction, and further expanded the program in 2022 with the presentation of the first Resilience Carolopolis Award.

High-resolution photographs of the winning projects are available by contacting sspence@preservationsociety.org.