1 Legare Street
Owner: John and Elizabeth Heck
Architect: Dufford Young Architects
Contractor: Edgewood Builders
The two-and-one-half story weatherboard-clad single house at 1 Legare Street was constructed in the 1760s on a nearby lot and moved to its present location in 1873. Named for original owner and Revolutionary naval hero, the Edward Blake House was awarded a Carolopolis Award for exterior restoration in 1970.
This 2016-2018 rehabilitation project included partial restoration of the nineteenth-century piazza through reversal of a first floor piazza enclosure, removal of aluminum storm windows, and preservation or in-kind replacement of all historic sashes. Additionally, original first floor openings were restored and the south-facing, oversized triple shed dormer was returned to two original dormers with a modified center dormer.
1 Meeting Street
Owner: Frederike Hecht
Architect: Bill Huey and Associates
Contractor: NBM Construction
One of the largest side-hall plan houses in Charleston, the three-story masonry residence named for original owner George Robertson was constructed in 1846 and altered extensively in the 1870s-1880s. In 1970, the George Robertson House was awarded a Carolopolis Award for exterior restoration.
Through this recent rehabilitation project, severely deteriorated brownstone sills and headers were repaired, non-historic cast stone members were replaced with historically accurate brownstone, an exterior metal staircase was removed from the west elevation, and mortar analysis was conducted to inform extensive repointing of exterior masonry.
30 State Street
Owner: Swamp Fox Properties LLC
Architect: LFA Architecture
Contractor: Tupper Builders
The Wagener-Trott Building at 30 State Street was constructed in 1866 for merchant Theodore D. Wagner in the Renaissance Revival style. For much of its history, the building’s first floor was operated by German, Irish and Greek immigrants as a tavern, and served as a “blind tiger” during Prohibition. In the 1930s, the Wagener-Trott building housed the Queen Street Lunchroom, a café dedicated to serving Charleston’s segregated African-American community.
The Preservation Society of Charleston placed an historic marker on the property in early 2018.
At the beginning of the 2016-2018 restoration, severe moisture intrusion and termite damage were evidenced by spalling stucco and extensive wood rot that threatened the building’s structural integrity. With the goal of addressing all deficiencies without altering the building’s historic appearance, this project consisted of extensive stucco removal and repointing, the replacement of nearly 4,000 deteriorated bricks, significant reinforcement of load-bearing masonry walls, and the restoration of original arches discovered above first floor openings.
32 South Battery
Owner: Jim and Augustine Smith
Architect: Glenn Keyes Architects
Contractor: Rhode Construction
Widely recognized for its prominent octagonal cupola, the three-and-one-half story post-Revolutionary house at 32 South Battery was constructed circa 1782 for namesake Colonel John Ashe. The Colonel John Ashe House was awarded an exterior Carolopolis Award in 1989.
The purpose of this project was to reconstruct the third tier of the front-facing piazza to reflect the house’s historic configuration. Through investigative research, nineteenth and early twentieth century photographs revealed a full three-story piazza that was reduced to two-stories in the 1930s. Documentation informed the design of the new balustrade, columns, cornice and paneled parapet, resulting in the accurate restoration of the house’s historic appearance.
55 East Bay
Owner: Liz and Will Fort
Architect: Dufford Young Architects
Contractor: Artis Construction
The Jonathan Simpson House at 55 East Bay Street and the original brick kitchen building to the rear were constructed in the early 1780s for British shipping merchant Jonathan Simpson. The kitchen house was renovated as a separate residence in the mid-twentieth century, and in 1965, the main house at 55 East Bay was awarded an exterior Carolopolis Award.
As part of this rehabilitation project, a condominium regime subdividing the main house and kitchen house into separate dwelling units was abandoned and the property was returned to a single-family residence. A 1980s stucco over frame kitchen addition at the rear of the main house was removed and a one-story glazed hyphen with copper cladding was introduced between the main house and the dependency. Three original openings on the south wall of the kitchen house were restored and new mahogany windows and doors replaced non-historic units.
94 Bogard Street
Owner: Judith Aidoo
Designer: New World Byzantine, Andrew Gould
Contractor: Flyway
The two-story Victorian wood-frame house at 94 Bogard Street was constructed circa 1890. Prior to its recent rehabilitation, 94 Bogard Street stood vacant for thirty years resulting in severe deterioration of all wood siding, trim and framing that necessitated considerable leveling and stabilization.
Rehabilitation work included the removal of a structurally unsound 1960s addition, the shoring up of historic roof framing, and the replacement of a failing roof with a new hand-crimped metal roof. Severely deteriorated wood siding and windows were preserved where salvageable or replaced in-kind, and the trim profile of failing porch members were measured carefully to allow reconstruction following the original design. Differentiated with square columns rather than round, a new rear porch was added that draws from the design of the front porch.
153 Moultrie Street
Owner: Lyles and Katie Geer
Architect: The Middleton Group, Laura Middleton and Rhett Morgan
Contractor: Matt O’Hara, Solid Renovations
Built in 1922, the two-and-one-half-story house at 153 Moultrie Street is a variant of a typical, early twentieth century Hampton Park Terrace house type referred to as “Lateral-gable.” Recalling Prairie style architecture with its wide overhanging eaves, and large square porch supports, 153 Moultrie Street was built by F.J.H. Haesloop who is credited with constructing more than a dozen houses in Hampton Park Terrace in the 1910s and 1920s.
While outside of the BAR’s purview, the current property owner chose to renovate within the framework established by the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, earning the State Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit. The scope of work included the removal of a non-historic rear addition and metal fire stair, restoration of original openings, reopening of a glass porch enclosure, and repairs of exterior masonry and cast stone detail.
161 Rutledge Avenue
Owner: Chuck Kronenwetter
Architect: Glick/Boehm & Associates, James (Billy) Bishop
The two-story wood frame mixed-use building at the corner of Rutledge Avenue and Doughty Street dates to 1845 and stood vacant for years prior to its recent rehabilitation. By the time work began, major structural stabilization and repair was necessary.
Exterior rehabilitation included the preservation or in-kind replacement of historic lap siding intact beneath the twentieth century faux stone stucco façade, reconstruction of the failing south elevation, reinforcement of the existing roof system with traditional mortise and tenon construction, and replacement of period incorrect one-over-one windows with six-over-six putty glazed wood windows.
163–165 Line Street
Owner: Lindsay Nevin
Designer: New World Byzantine, Andrew Gould
Constructed in 2017, 163 and 165 Line Street are designed to respond simultaneously to challenging site conditions created by the Septima P. Clark Parkway, and the unique architectural vocabulary of the surrounding Cannonborough-Elliottborough and Westside neighborhoods.
This small-scale infill was intended to recall the style and form of the many houses lost to the construction of the Crosstown in the mid-twentieth century. Designed to read as two-stories from the street, the two houses employ simple vernacular forms enriched by numerous traditional details like piazzas and ornate woodwork. While the interior courtyard provides the main entrance for both houses, a street-facing piazza screen at 165 Line Street reflects the typical streetscape pattern of Charleston’s residential neighborhoods.
262 Coming Street
Owner: James Trent
Designer: New World Byzantine, Andrew Gould
Contractor: Luxury Simplified
The two-story wood frame single house at 262 Coming Street was built in 1890, and was subject to a series of insensitive alterations and additions in the twentieth-century. As part of the recent rehabilitation project, 262 Coming Street was converted from a college rental duplex to a single family residence.
As part of the project, later vinyl siding was removed, intact historic siding beneath was preserved or replaced in-kind, and original two-over-two windows were preserved or restored. A portion of a second floor piazza enclosure was re-opened, structurally unsound, non-historic additions and egress stairs were demolished, and a new rear addition was constructed. Additionally, a timber frame screened porch was built by artisans from the American College of the Building Arts.
267 Rutledge Avenue
Owner: Lindsay Nevin
Designer: New World Byzantine, Andrew Gould
Contractor: Flyway
Originally built as John Meyer & Co. Grocery in 1901, the two-and-one-half story wood-frame corner building at 267 Rutledge features an ornate bracketed cornice and tripartite gable window. A one-story office addition was added to the south side of the building in the 1920s.
In the mid to late-twentieth century, the original glazed storefront was replaced by a brick and plywood façade, and years of unaddressed termite damage and rot resulted in severe damage. Project goals included restoring the altered storefront through careful investigation of the remaining woodwork, reframing and repairing the piazza to prevent future water intrusion, replacing failing window sashes in kind, and rebuilding the structurally unsound addition on a new foundation.
Drayton Hall Visitor Center and Education Pavilion Complex
Owner: Drayton Hall Preservation Trust
Architect: Glenn Keyes Architects
Contractor: Hood Construction
Landscape Architect: Wertimer + Cline Landscape Architects
Structural Engineer: 4SE, Fountain Timberworks
Opened to the public in early 2018, the Sally Reahard Visitor Amenity Center at Drayton Hall Plantation was thoughtfully designed to create a meaningful entry experience for visitors that compliments and respects the iconic historic landscape.
The new complex consists of two buildings flanking a central garden, each employing timber frame construction and drawing from a traditional material palette of wood, slate, stucco and glass. The primary building is classically proportioned with a five-bay plan mirroring that of the house, and features an open timber frame entry portico, a putty-colored stucco finish, and a slate roof. The education pavilion, closer to the eighteenth century plantation house, is the smaller of the two buildings and features a central timber frame breezeway. The new Visitor Amenity Center allows the exhibition of Drayton Hall’s extensive collection of artifacts, enhanced opportunity for education, and the telling of this National Historic Landmark’s significant story.
Quartermaster Dock House
Owner: Manda and Steve Poletti
Architect: Steve Herlong and Bronwyn Lurkin, Herlong Architects
Contractor: Harper James Finucan (house), Cape Romain Contractors (dock)
Built by the U.S. government circa 1905, the Quartermaster Dock and Dock House were commissioned as part of the Fort Moultrie Support Facilities system in use between 1897 and 1947. The quartermaster who lived on-site in the Dock House was responsible for accepting deliveries of artillery and ammunition before transport to Fort Moultrie. Following the deactivation of Fort Moultrie, the Dock House stood vacant for many years. In 2007, the property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and was sold at auction five years later.
This significant project was undertaken to restore the property to its original condition while preserving as much historic material as possible. First, the Dock House was carefully lifted to replace its foundation with new concrete pilings, and over 2,000 square feet of non-original decking was removed to bring the dock back to its original dimensions with diagonally laid boards. Original Dutch lap siding was preserved or replaced in-kind, a non-historic asphalt shingle roof was replaced with period-appropriate cedar shake shingles, and new double-hung wood windows replaced all non-original units.