There’s a Whole Lotta Building Going On in Downtown Charleston

Soaring residential real estate market aside, it is commercial and development activity that can give you true insight into a local economy’s present and near future.  And make no mistake – Charleston is on a MAJOR upswing.  Always the ones with the inside scoop, the Preservation Society posted a few new photos regarding this matter on their Facebook page today following a huge Board of Architectural Review meeting. I thought I’d share them with you.

Disclaimer: in no way does this cover everything that is going on. I won’t even mention the scads of new restaurants opening or office buildings being built/renovated, or new retailers coming in, or hotels being built or the bidding process being opened for the Horizon Development…But this is a nice sampling.

Upper King Street/Midtown Project

I’ve written about this before but here’s a new aerial rendering of the project including a hotel, parking garage, multiple retail locations as well as restaurants located at the base of Cannon and Spring Streets on King.  In the photo you’ll see the small white building (third from right) – that’s the location of Mike Lata’s new oyster bar, The Ordinary, opening this fall.

upper-king-street-project-charleston-sc

The Gaillard Auditorium Renovation

After the final Spoleto performance this past weekend, the Gaillard Auditorium is now closed for its impending upfit. Just approved by the BAR, here is the rendering of the Calhoun Street facade.

gaillard-auditorium-charleston-sc

The new performing arts center will be part of what the City is calling the Gaillard Center Arts Precinct, a mix of indoor and outdoor space dedicated to just that.

174 Meeting Street

Though obviously this project is not as grand in scale as the others, it’s still worthy of note. I am a big fan of infill development, particularly one replacing a vast gravely parking lot.  At 174 Meeting Street just off the Market and across from Wells Fargo, a new building will be zooming up.

 

Urban Farm on Upper King Street

Of course, this is the project capturing my heart. A vision of the owners of the Butcher & Bee restaurant and Urban Edge Studios, this urban farm will replace a tumble weed and trash empty lot right next to the highway on Upper King at #677.  Can you imagine a better use for this space?

So what do you think? Perhaps you should get in while the gettin’ is hot. 🙂

 

 

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