Still chances to participate in Preservation Society’s Preservation Month tours

The Preservation Society of Charleston is offering a handful of new events throughout May, coinciding with National Preservation Month.

The events kicked off last week, with the group’s spring membership meeting and member appreciation day at the Preservation Society’s King Street retail store. A sold-out hard-hat tour of 9 Limehouse St. downtown also took place on April 29.

“Charleston has become synonymous with the work of historic preservation, not only because it is one of America’s oldest cities, but because of the role it has played in establishing the preservation field,” said Kristopher King, the Preservation Society’s executive director, in a press release.

This week, a sold-out walking tour will visit Morris Street on May 6 at 10 a.m., guided by architectural historian Brittany Lavelle-Tulla. The tour coincides with a new digital exhibit documenting the historical significance of the neighborhood, which has been home to a diverse community of free and enslaved people as well as Asian and European immigrants who created a significant business district in the area.

Virtual tour opportunities are also available this month, including a tour of the pink stucco manse at 5 E. Battery St. A virtual advocacy forum is planned for May 20 with society staff as well.

On May 12, a hard-hat tour is available of King Street’s landmark Masonic Temple currently undergoing extensive renovation at the corner of King and Wentworth streets.

On May 27, tour guides will offer a visit to the Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim (KKBE) Synagogue (c. 1840) at 90 Hasell St. KKBE is one of the oldest Jewish congregations in the United States and is considered the “birthplace” of American Reformed Judaism.

For other opportunities, be sure to sign up for the group’s newsletter and visit preservationsociety.org.