Advocacy Alert: BAR Denies Massive Building on Morrison Drive

Rendering of proposed apartment complex at 1142 Morrison Drive. Source: March 23, 2022 BAR-L Image Overview

Last night, the Board of Architectural Review-Large unanimously denied a proposal for a 424-unit apartment complex at 1142 Morrison Drive. This is one of the largest development proposals to come forward in recent years, measuring over 1,000 linear feet along Morrison Drive, which for comparison is over 3 football fields long. The PSC cited issues with the building’s incompatibility with Charleston’s urban character and advocated for the massing to be broken down into multiple, distinct buildings, based on the scale of the site.

The Board agreed with our comments, noting the monotony of the building’s height, mass and architecture were unsuccessful. The motion for denial included specific direction for the project to return with a “multiple building approach” and we applaud the Board for standing up for compatible, quality development for Charleston, especially as the upper peninsula district begins to take shape.

International Longshoremen’s Association Hall, currently located at 1142 Morrison Drive

In our comments, we did make sure to note that this site is currently home to the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) Hall, which is unfortunately slated for demolition to make way for the proposed development. The building has architectural and cultural significance, due to its association with African American architect, Harvey Gantt, and the Longshoremen. While we are highly disappointed that the developer has not embraced ILA Hall as part of the redevelopment, we are pleased to announce the PSC is pursuing documentation of the site as part of our online mapping initiative, the Charleston Justice Journey, to ensure its story lives on in a widely-accessible, public format.

Stay tuned for updates on this project, and please email any questions to advocacy@preservationsociety.org.