Advocacy Alerts

PSC Progress October 2024

preservation-editor , October 25, 2024

Dear Friends,

We are excited to host our members at our 104th Annual Meeting next Monday. Over 400 of you have registered and I am looking forward to recapping an incredible year of advocacy on behalf of our extraordinary staff. I hope to convey just how seriously we take our role to press for responsible land use decisions that put protection of our cultural heritage at the forefront.

As election season is upon us, one issue that deserves our attention is Charleston County’s half-cent sales tax ballot initiative. The tax is advertised as a means for funding new roadbuilding and land conservation projects.

But the County’s sights are laser-focused on just one new freeway in particular: the Mark Clark Expressway extension. Rather than dedicating funding to other critical mobility needs, the extension would suck up most of the estimated $5.4 billion to be raised by the tax.

Whether or not to fund this polarizing project should be a clear question for the voters. This referendum does not even mention it. We find that confusing at best and misleading at worst.

For instance, the proposed route would require acquisition of a 30+ acre parcel of James Island County Park on its northern edge. Yet the impacts to one of the few places in the Charleston region available for family camping have received little public attention.

The freeway would also consume more than 27 acres of the privately owned Fenwick Hall Historic District on Johns Island, including nearby wetlands. And it would land cars downtown onto Calhoun Street, which already suffers from significant congestion and flooding challenges.

I expect our members may have varying views on this and other choices on the ballot. But, regardless, please get out and exercise your right to vote!


MAPPING CHARLESTON’S BLACK BURIAL GROUNDS PROJECT IS LIVE! 

The first comprehensive map of burial grounds in the City of Charleston is now live on the PSC website! The culmination of two years of community engagement, this digital map documents 200 gravesites and counting, 75% of which are likely the final resting places of Black Charlestonians.

This National Park Service-funded project undertaken in partnership with the Anson Street African Burial Ground Project aims to raise public awareness of Black burial sites and serve as a catalyst for further research and responsible land use planning. Charleston has long been regarded as a national leader in preserving historic architecture and is now positioned to model the same standard of stewardship for sacred sites and cultural landscapes.

In building relationships with descendants and caretakers of African American burial grounds across the city, the PSC has come to more fully appreciate the legacy of generational stewardship that has ensured the survival of these spaces. As development pressures intensify, the Mapping Charleston’s Black Burial Grounds Project opens doors to new networks of support for communities advancing these grassroots efforts. Together, we can leverage this map and our voices to strengthen protections for burial grounds citywide.

Explore this community resource today, share it with a friend, and contribute your knowledge of local burial grounds via the map survey or via email to Laurel Fay, Manager of Preservation & Research at lfay@preservationsociety.org.


ADVOCACY UPDATE: 295 CALHOUN DESIGN MOVES FORWARD, BAR CHALLENGE DISMISSED

Revised design for 295 Calhoun, looking west at the corner of Calhoun Street and Halsey Boulevard, via BAR-L image overview 

It’s been a momentous month for the controversial 295 Calhoun Street project. At the September 25 meeting of the Board of Architectural Review (BAR), a revised version of the design received conceptual approval, and just last week, the developer’s legal challenge against the BAR was dismissed. Both events can be considered victories stemming from consistent community engagement.

For the past three years, the PSC stood with Harleston Village residents in calling for the proposed building to better relate to the scale of the neighborhood and Charleston’s unique architectural character. This led to four BAR denials and the developer’s lawsuit challenging the validity of the BAR’s authority, in which the PSC intervened.

While still one of the largest building footprints ever proposed downtown, the recently approved design reflects hard-won improvements, including reduced height, a more sensitive massing approach, and a simplified design direction. These concessions, in tandem with the dismissal of the case, reinforce the integrity of the design review process and the BAR’s important role.

When this project returns for preliminary review, the PSC will continue to call on the Board to exercise its authority to demand the highest-quality architecture and urban design for this site. Learn more about the policies and decisions that paved the way for this project and the PSC’s vision for change by reading our recent Advocacy Alert.


WEST ASHLEY PRESERVATION DISCUSSION 

An event discussing West Ashley preservation convened Monday at the John Wesley Church

On Monday this week, the Preservation Society was invited to be on a panel discussion organized by West Ashley residents to build on community conversations taking place about how to approach historic preservation in West Ashley neighborhoods.

The discussion around preservation in West Ashley remains in early days, but as PSC President & CEO Brian Turner noted, the good news is that there are a variety of protections possible to ensure ongoing protection for historic neighborhoods.

Thanks to all those who attended, to moderator Lorne Chambers, and fellow panelists Councilman Ross Appel, Eric Pohlman, Ken Marolda, Ashley Jackrel, and Ron Sassard.

Want to learn more about historic West Ashley neighborhoods? Area Character Appraisals for Byrnes Downs and Old Windermere, along with the Charleston Justice Journey site for the Maryville community, are a good starting place for understanding the development patterns and architecture unique to the city’s earliest suburbs.


NEW PSC HISTORIC MARKER INTERPRETS LGBTQ+ HISTORY

Only a handful of historic markers and monuments across Charleston acknowledge the contributions of LGBTQ+ community. This new PSC historic marker created in partnership with Harlan Greene, local historian and author of The Real Rainbow Row: Explorations in Charleston’s LGBTQ History, expands this interpretation as a step toward sharing our city’s full history.

Gustave Bernardt Marle House

14 Queen Street

On Halloween 1958, the c. 1816 former bakery at 14 Queen Street became the site of a tragic, high-profile crime remembered as the “Candlestick Murder.” Following a night on the town, Jack Dobbins, a young gay man renting this property, was bludgeoned to death by an airman stationed at Charleston Air Force Base. During a sensational trial, where Dobbins was portrayed as a “deviant,” preying on a “normal” young man defending his country, Dobbins’ killer was acquitted. This outcome created fear in the local LGBTQ+ community at a time of particularly acute repression and prosecution of gay and lesbian people during the Cold War-era communist “Red Scare.” Considered today a victim of injustice, Jack Dobbins, an Air Force veteran himself, is buried in his hometown of Spartanburg, S.C.

Read the full text, learn more about 14 Queen Street, and explore the 150+ other marker locations across the city using the PSC’s Historic Marker Map. If you are interested in pursuing a historic marker on your property, please reach out to Laurel M. Fay at lfay@preservationsociety.org.


T-SHIRTS THAT MAKE A SPLASH

New apparel has arrived at 147 King Street! Baxter Music Enterprises’ “Aquatic Musicians” T-Shirt Collection is now available in the PSC shop. This unique line of T-shirts features original artwork by Xayd Love, a talented local artist. Each design showcases whimsical sea creatures playing musical instruments, including Pedro McD, the jellyfish drummer, and Amadeus, the swordtip squid timpanist.

The inspiration behind this playful collection comes from Love’s father, Quentin E. Baxter, the prolific drummer who plays with Ranky Tanky, and whose passion for both music and the ocean is beautifully reflected in each piece. Dive into this fusion of art and marine life; shop the collection at the PSC Shop daily 10 A.M. to 5 P.M.


We are already one week into the Fall Tours of Architecture, History, and Gardens. Last week, we kicked off the series with new specialty walking tours like Charleston’s Jewish History with Harlan Greene and a Hard Hat Tour of the Spring Street Methodist Church with David Thompson Studio, Lennon Construction, and Loci South. Thank you to all those who participated and made week one of the Fall Tours such a success!

Week 1 of Fall Tours included walking tours, a King Street Insider’s Tour, and more…

While some tours have already sold out, there are still many opportunities to join us on tour over the next three weeks.

LEARN MORE ABOUT 2024 FALL TOURS

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR CORPORATE SPONSORS

Fall Tours Presenting Sponsor

PSC Annual Sustaining Sponsors

Fall Tours Silver Sponsors

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