Preserving Charleston's Treasures

By Patra Taylor

To wander the streets of Charleston is to walk in the footsteps of Revolutionary War heroes, signers of the Declaration of Independence and authors of the United States Constitution.

M any buildings still bear their names. The  descendants of these forefathers still live and work here. Charlestonians are quick to point out that while other “Colonial towns” may be replicas, Charleston is the real thing — a city whose people and treasures have survived the ages and prevailed through the best and worst of times.

Since the turn of the 20th century, Charleston’s unique environment, people and circumstances have contributed to the tradition of  preserving and protecting the physical evidence of past  generations. The massive task of preservation falls to a few skilled hands: The historians who acquire, read and interpret the city’s ancient  documents; the furniture makers who restore and repair antiques; and the artisans who maintain the integrity of structures, from the decorative stone, plaster and ironwork to the stained glass and carpentry. These people work tirelessly behind the scenes to help keep Charleston’s history alive.

Here are two of their stories.

Smith Coleman, Coleman Fine Art
Smith Coleman got into restoring antique  picture frames literally by accident. “When I had an art gallery in Philadelphia, one of my assistants dropped a client’s frame… a Louis XVI,” explains Coleman, who owns Coleman Fine Art in  downtown Charleston. “It wasn’t severely damaged, but damaged enough that I had to fix it. So I did some research and then took a beginner’s class in water gilding so I could repair the frame. That’s when I realized I had another interest besides the gallery.”

Coleman met his wife, Mary Whyte, who is nationally renowned for her figurative watercolors, when they were students at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia. Once Coleman got his feet wet, he decided to dive into the art of frame restoration with both feet. “I took a couple of more courses, and ultimately studied with  master gilders around the country,” he continues. “And through the years, I’ve studied abroad.”

Since moving to Charleston 20 years ago, both Coleman and Whyte have flourished in their respective arts. Coleman, one of the few framers skilled in the arts of gilding and frame restoration, continues to receive work from individuals along the East Coast — all by word of mouth. A  perfectionist, Coleman says he enjoys the meticulous work involved in bringing deteriorating frames back to their original state.

But he admits he spends much of his time crafting one-of-a-kind new frames, primarily for his wife’s work and for the other artists represented by his Church Street gallery.

“There’s a fine art to enhancing paintings,” says the master gilder of his frame designs. “The frames should be an extension of the art. I don’t make the same frame over and over again.”

Coleman points to a current exhibition of his wife’s work entitled Mary Whyte: Working South. Hosted by the Greenville Museum of Art, the exhibition is currently on tour across the Southeast. According to Coleman, the exhibition  features watercolors of working people. “Mary spent three years painting these 50 images of people in vanishing industries,” explains Coleman. “Of course, I did all the frames. Every frame is a one-of-a-kind, designed specifically to complement a specific painting.”

Coleman notes that each frame is a time-intensive labor of love that takes him a week or more to craft. “I’m not so much a practitioner as an artisan,” he concludes.

Smith is a member of the Society of Gilders, an organization that provides master gilders an opportunity to pass on their knowledge to novice framers. The members also donate their talents to various community projects. Coleman offers select workshops in his studio twice a year, and teaches his craft at the Smithsonian every other year.

Ian Hardy, Notch & Nail
Ian Hardy fell in love with Charleston while vacationing here with his family during his youth. But his love of carpentry took root in the historic town of Clifton, Va., where he spent two and a half years as a master carpenter’s apprentice. “The carpenter I worked for was basically the carpenter of Clifton,” says Hardy of the work he did just outside his hometown of Fairfax. “Like Charleston, Clifton has strict building codes, so I was trained in the thought process of doing things the traditional way.”

One day, Hardy’s father showed him an article about the American College of the Building Arts, a Charleston-based college dedicated to educating the next generation of building artisans, and preserving the building arts in a manner never before seen in America. Hardy immediately applied for admission to the college’s carpentry program and, once accepted, became a member of the fledgling school’s second class. A four-year liberal arts  college, ACBA also teaches students in the arts of plaster, masonry, timber framing, architectural stone and architectural iron.

That was six years ago. Today, Hardy and his wife, Jessica, own Notch & Nail, a custom  woodworking and carpentry shop that he first conceived during one of his classes at ACBA. “We specialize in the custom design and fabrication of cabinetry and furniture, built-in and free-standing bookcases, entertainment centers, counter tops and bars, windows, doors and shutters, staircases, sheds and playhouses, decorative moldings and trim…you name it, we can build it.” But the gift he and his alma mater give back to the community is his team’s ability to restore and preserve the city’s historic treasures.

“‘Do it again.’ That’s what we heard most often in our carpentry classes,” says carpenter Mandy Bassett, a fellow graduate of the ACBA and a member of the team at Notch & Nail. “We were taught not to be OK with low standards… that good enough was not good enough. It was tough, but everything we learned now correlates back to working on the current job and the next job.”

Both former students point with pride to the work they did rebuilding the windows at the Old City Jail, which currently houses ABCA. The jail, which was operational from 1802 until 1939, sat empty and neglected for 61 years before it was acquired as a living laboratory and classroom by the college. Today, the Old City Jail is an  official “Save America’s Treasures” project of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the White House Millennium Council.

Probably Ian’s most public project is the  pillory that stands outside the Old Powder Magazine, a historic site visited by thousands of tourists every year. According to Hardy, the pillory he built was based on photographs of historic pillories. “It was hand-hewn with an ax,” notes Hardy. “It’s very rustic and authentic-looking.

“At this company, we’re just trying to take what we’ve learned and put it back into Charleston,” concludes Hardy. “It’s a beautifully kept city and we want to add to that… to keep it going.”

View our guide to Arts and Antiques shopping in Charleston.

Bocci's Italian Restaurant Bocci's - a great Italian restaurant in historic downtown Charleston on Church Street. USA Today has called Bocci's one of the leading Italian restaurants in the United States. Bocci's serves full Italian fare, excellent wines, heavenly desserts and gourmet coffees all at affordable prices. Perfect for the whole family. Dinner nightly.

Julia Santen Gallery Original vintage poster art. A glimpse of European advertising at the turn of the 20th Century. Covering the walls of the gallery are large splashes of color inviting you to the Moulin Rouge, Monaco Grand Prix, films, exotic locations and more. Belle Epoch, Art Nouveau, Art Deco and contemporary periods.

Hagan Fine Art Gallery & Studio Karen Hewitt Hagan’s paintings offer a compelling combination of dramatic light and rugged beauty. Favorite subjects include pristine coastal landscapes, boats drenched in sunlight, soulful dancers and romantic nudes. Visit Hagan Fine Art Gallery & Studio on State Street. Private shopping by appointment.