Welcome to Charleston
Charleston's Historic Preservation

The years have been kind to Charleston.

From a rough beginning as Charles Towne Landing in the 1600s, the port city was propagated by people, customs and cultures from Europe and Africa whose influences are still visible today in its architecture, traditions and arts. And it was lucky: Charleston has been hit by hurricanes, multiple wars, earthquakes and fires. It was even spared destruction from General William Tecumseh Sherman’s infamous march to the sea during the Civil War. Today, the city sets the standard for historic preservation and restoration.

The peninsula alone has more than 3,000 historic buildings, according to the Charleston Heritage Foundation, one of the many volunteer and nonprofit groups whose mission is to preserve and restore Charleston.

When it became a municipality in 1783, the city adopted a motto that echoes its dedication to preservation: “She guards her buildings, customs and laws.” How appropriate that this statement feminizes the city, because the first real proponents of preservation in Charleston were women.

In the Beginning
The National Society of Colonial Dames of America (NSCDA) and the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) “took up the charge of stimulating interest and pride in the nation through the preservation of the city’s earliest buildings,” according to Charles Edwin Chase, former Charleston city architect and preservation officer. In 1901, the Colonial Dames acquired the pre-Revolutionary powder magazine at one of the oldest remaining structures from the permanent settlement of Charleston in 1680.

In 1912, the DAR was concerned about the future of the Old Exchange Building, 122 East Bay Street, when there was talk that a builder was interested in the site. Their efforts succeeded in 1913 when Congress authorized the secretary of the treasury “to convey, by quitclaim deed, the Old Exchange to the Order of Daughters of the American Revolution… to be held by it as a historical memorial in trust for such use.” According to the National Park Service, “The motivation in both cases was the same: to acquire and preserve those buildings associated with past events which would physically reflect Charleston’s contribution to the development of the nation.”

The most prominent woman in this early preservation movement was real estate agent Susan Pringle Frost. A renowned suffragette and perhaps the first woman Realtor in Charleston, Frost began purchasing and restoring several peninsula homes in 1910. Her first efforts aimed to restore homes that had attained “slum status” on Tradd Street, St. Michael’s Alley and a section of East Bay Street that is now known as Rainbow Row. In 1920, she formed the Society for the Preservation of Old Dwellings — renamed the Preservation Society of Charleston in 1957.

At this time, the U.S. Supreme Court furthered the preservation movement with its 1926 decision in Village of Euclid, Ohio, v. Ambler Realty. The court held that a local government “in a valid exercise of authority” could enact and enforce zoning laws to regulate commerce, and place limits on the various use and height of buildings. On the basis of this ruling, in 1931 Frost and the Society petitioned the Charleston City Council to pass the first zoning ordinance in the nation designed to protect historic resources. Together they took zoning laws to another plateau, not just legislating structures, but declaring an entire portion of the city to be an historic district, limiting design, building materials and restorations with codified law.

The new ordinance designated 138 acres of the oldest buildings south of Broad Street as the Old and Historic District. Since 1931, the Old and Historic District has grown from 138 acres to more than 1,000 acres and contains almost 5,000 structures built between 1712 and 1945.

The Movement Strengthens
One of the most important facets of the preservation ordinance was the establishment of the Board of Architectural Review (BAR), one of the most powerful boards in Charleston. As stated in the city zoning ordinance, the purpose of the board is “the preservation and protection of the old historic or architecturally worthy structures and quaint neighborhoods which impart a distinct aspect to the city and which serve as visible reminders of the historical and cultural heritage of the city, the state and the nation.”

Historic Charleston Foundation, Inc. was chartered in 1947 and began a Spring Tour of Homes fashioned after those in other southern cities that showcased restored historic sites to visiting tourists. In 1959, Historic Charleston Foundation began to focus on the rehabilitation of entire neighborhoods through an aggressive purchase and resale agenda. They established a revolving fund for options or outright purchase with the idea that one or two buildings successfully restored on a street would cause others to follow. And they did. The program took dilapidated — sometimes abandoned — houses and restored them as beautiful single-family homes.

The Modern Era
The most significant factor in Charleston’s restoration and revitalization in the last 40 years was the 1975 election of Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. Born in Charleston, Riley is a Citadel graduate and a lover of the arts, history and architecture — and therefore dedicated to the revitalization and economic development of his city.

In 1975, downtown Charleston was run-down; there was no high-end shopping, no fine dining and few good hotels. It was a tired city. Right from the start, Riley’s administration was aggressive and commissioned Barton-Aschman Associates, Inc. to develop a commercial revitalization plan for the historic commercial core of the peninsula. Riley envisioned a new centerpiece and building block that would be the anchor for renewing the area, keeping businesses downtown and avoiding the rush to the shopping-center suburbs so common across the country. He chose a blighted block at the most important commercial corner in the city at Market Street.

The preservationist community was split on the issue, but Riley prevailed with funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and a new 600-room hotel and retail center, Charleston Place, began the rapid, private revitalization of King, Meeting and East Bay streets.

The greatest challenge to Charleston’s preservationist revitalization came from Hurricane Hugo. In the early hours of September 21, 1989, the Category 4 storm hit Charleston with sustained winds approaching 120 mph, affecting 85 percent of the 3,500 properties in the historic district. Immediately after the storm, a consortium that included the Preservation Society, Historic Charleston Foundation and the National Trust for Historic Preservation came together to assess the damage to the historic district. The Post and Courier reported that Hugo caused a total of $2.8 billion in damage in the city of Charleston alone. The consortium was a clearinghouse of information for property owners, suppliers, vendors and manufacturers of building materials.

The city stood by their preservationist position and refused to lessen any of the historical architectural rebuilding requirements, enforcing all of the existing building codes. The BAR stood firm even when facing irate and often underinsured property owners who asked for relief from the regulations, asking to substitute the approved building materials with less expensive materials. In his book Charleston: Guarding Her Customs, Buildings and Laws, author Charles Edwin Chase states: “This decision saved countless historic buildings from demolition and inappropriate modification.”

“The Hugo Effect forced urban renewal,” said Riley. “Without any question, this city emerged from the recovery stronger, more beautiful and more economically vibrant than it was before.”

Learn about how you can own a piece of history or invest in waterfront and vacation property in Charleston and the Lowcountry. Read our Real Estate section.

Despite the occasional resistance, the BAR's staunch efforts have ushered in the glowing renaissance of the historic district and won the respect and appreciation of most Charlestonians. Riley's dedication to historic preservation also continues today and hasn't gone unnoticed. In 2010, the American Architectural Foundation and the United States Conference of Mayors created the Riley Award to recognize mayors whose commitment to excellence in urban design reflects the outstanding example set by Charleston's own Joseph P. Riley Jr. With all of this homegrown pride in its history, Charleston is sure to continue preserving its homes and structures for future generations to enjoy.

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