The neighborhood stands on a tract of land that was once part of The Crescent Plantation owned by Robert G. Simons, named for the shape of the land. In 1926, Wappoo Realty y Co. hired the famed architectural firm the Olmsted Brothers, who designed New York’s Central Park and Charleston’s own Hampton Park, to plan the 150 acres of land.^[1]

Many of the streets were named for colonial governors such as Broughton, Yeamans, Johnson, Sayle, Craven, and Archdale.[2] It is rumored that New Town Lane was part of an oak alley that lead to the now demolished Crescent Plantation House.[3]

In the same year that Wappoo Realty Co. began to develop the neighborhood, the World War One Memorial Bridge opened making it easier to commute from West Ashley and James Island to the peninsula.^[4] Unfortunately the development of the neighborhood was put on pause in 1929 by the Great Depression, but resumed in the early 1930s when people began filling the large lots with proportionate traditional Colonial Revival and Georgian Revival style homes.

From the 1940s to the 1960s, the neighborhood began to fill in with large brick-clad structures, some with outbuildings that served as servants’ quarters.^[5] In 1964 the Crescent Civic Association formed to maintain the beauty of the neighborhood and uphold the sense of community.

The Preservation Society of Charleston led a tour of the Crescent community as a part of the 2024 Fall Tours Program to support the interpretation of historic sites west of the Ashley River. The PSC is actively participating in the Save Historic West Ashley group discussions and continues to advocate for the preservation of historic neighborhoods in West Ashley.

Keep scrolling to learn about how the PSC works for your neighborhood!