Media Coverage

Carolopolis Awards include historic homes, visitor center, Brick House Ruins

preservation-admin , February 3, 2022

Read the original Post and Courier story here.

Left: The home at 5 East Battery is a Carolopolis Award winner, pictured February 1, 2022 in Charleston, Grace Beahm Alford; Right: The Charleston Visitor Center received the Interior Carolopolis Award and Pro Merito Award, announced Feb. 2, 2022 in Charleston, Brad Nettles. 

A proud pink harbor-front house that weathered ravages from the Civil War and an earthquake, too.

The ruins of a brick house on Edisto Island that carry a complex history and ghostly lore.

A 1930s officers’ quarters that was once part of the hustle and bustle of the Charleston Naval Base.

These emblematic and historic structures were among the winners of the Preservation Society of Charleston’s 68th Carolopolis Awards, the local honors which celebrate preservation in Charleston and the Lowcountry.

“This year’s pool of applicants was exceptional and reminds us that historic preservation has always been a grassroots movement,” said Anna-Catherine Carroll, manager of preservation initiatives at Preservation Society of Charleston.

“Amid intense development pressure, good preservation work is happening across the Lowcountry every day, thanks to dedicated property owners and highly-skilled project teams,” she added.

The awards are often associated with the iconic circular black plaques given to winners and mounted on the exterior of the renovated structure being honored. The award’s name is a combination of the Latin word for Charles, Carolus, and the Greek word for town or city, polis.

The awards are a hallmark initiative of the Preservation Society. Founded in 1920 by pioneering preservationist Susan Pringle Frost as the Society for the Preservation of Old Dwellings, the organization is the oldest grassroots preservation organization in the country.

This year’s 11 winners, conferred at an awards ceremony Feb. 2 at the College of Charleston’s Sottile Theatre, represent a diverse array of projects spanning architectural styles and Lowcountry locales. They showcase creative strategies to address the many challenges facing the region’s historic places, including innovative flood adaptations and undertakings to combat demolition by neglect.

Among them are a preserved brick ruin on Edisto Island known as Brick House, which also is said to boast a resident ghost; a rehabilitated schoolhouse in the Officers’ Quarters in the National Register Historic District at the former Charleston Naval Base; and a reimagined historic interior of the Charleston Visitor Center.

Carroll noted that many of this year’s winning projects were complex and required assembling the right team of professionals to achieve success. Of the 11 winners, seven received their second award this year, identified as a Pro Merito Award, which signifies that one was previously received at least 20 years ago and has undergone an additional project or maintained the preservation.

Carroll views the repeat recognition as a testament to the long-term consistent ethic of stewardship that distinguishes Charleston.

“The quality of work we see in this year’s winners points to the wide range of expertise in architecture, engineering and traditional craftsmanship we have in the Lowcountry,” she said. “By celebrating these professionals in the building arts, we aim to inspire continued preservation of our region’s historic places.”

Pro Merito Awards

1 Water St.

Owner: Bernard and Denise Mansheim

Project team: Julia F. Martin Architects, Morris Construction, Glen R. Gardner Landscape Architect, Caskie Engineering, Perryman Engineering and Wolfe House & Building Movers

Carolopolis Winner

One Water Street received a Carolopolis Pro Merito Award that was announced Feb. 2, 2022, in Charleston. Brad Nettles/Staff
Brad Nettles/bnettles@postandcourier.com

5 East Battery

Owner: Scott Bessent and John Freeman

Project team: Glenn Keyes Architects, Richard Marks Restorations, 45E Structural Engineers, Live Oak Consultants and Perry Guillot Inc. Landscape Architecture

6 Judith St.

Owner: Glen R. Gardner

Project team: Glen R. Gardner, Patrick Bradley and Shaun O’Shea

63 Anson St.

Owner: PIC Anson (Paul Picarazzi)

Project team: Renew Urban Charleston and Daniel Beck Architecture

70 Tradd St.

Owner: Daniel P. and Rebecca Herres

Project team: Fenno Architecture, Richard Marks Restorations, Bennett Preservation Engineering, Charleston Fireplace and Chimney Restoration, Charleston Awning and Metal Co. and Karl Beckwith Smith

90 East Bay St.

Owner: Eric A. Nofzinger

Project team: Artis Construction, Rosen & Associates, UpSouth LLC and Elysa Lazar Design

90 East Bay St. was the recipient of a Carolopolis Pro Merito Award aht was announced Feb. 2, 2022 in Charleston, Brad Nettles. 

Interior Carolopolis Award and Pro Merito Award

Charleston Visitor Center

Owner: City of Charleston and Explore Charleston

Project team: Glenn Keyes Architects, Hood Construction, 4SE Structural Engineers, Live Oak Consultants, Healy Kohler Design, 1220 Exhibits and Glen R. Gardner Landscape Architect

The Charleston Visitor Center received the Interior Carolopolis Award and Pro Merrito Award, announced Feb. 2, 2022. In Charleston, Brad Nettles. 

Exterior Carolopolis Award

42 South St.

Owner: William Easterlin, Mulberry Street Development

Project team: William Jefferson, AAQ Construction Services

195 Smith St.

Owner: Vicki Richardson

Project team: Rockwell Construction and b Studio Architecture

Quarters J

Owner: Charleston Naval Complex Redevelopment Authority

Project team: SMHa Inc., S&ME, ADC Engineering, RMF Engineering and Huss Inc.

Brick House Ruin (copy)

A team from Richard Marks Restorations Inc. works to stabilize the walls of the Brick House Ruins on Edisto Island on July 24, 2018. The 1700s plantation house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Brad Nettles/Staff
Brad Nettles bnettles@postandcourier.com

Brick House

Owner: Brick House Trust LLC

Project team: Brick House Ruins Preservation LLC, John Moore, Artis Construction and Richard Marks Restorations

Nomination forms for the 69th Carolopolis Awards will be available on the PSC website this June. Find more information about the Carolopolis initiative at preservationsociety.org.

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