Is the Third Time a Charm for the Sword Gate House?

Is the Third Time a Charm for the Sword Gate House?

The allure of the Sword Gate house is real. A massive, magnificent mystery behind a towering brick wall, seen only through hand-wrought iron gates featuring two brawny swords. Who owns it? Only a few are privy – otherwise the rest of us are left wondering who in the world is Bear Gate Realty Limited – the name listed in the...

An Insider Look at HARLESTON row | From Vision to Completion

If you have been a subscriber to this blog for more than a year, you may recall in August of 2015, I launched a huge new construction project I had been working on since December of 2013 with the incredible team of JJR Development, Dow Inc, and Architect Julia Martin – HARLESTON row. HARLESTON row is a collection of six new...

The March of the Big Brown Brick

In reviewing the Board of Architectural Review (BAR) agenda on Wednesday, I noticed the proliferation of the Big Brown Brick in almost every proposal. In a City that is known for its colorful buildings and creative and varied architecture, it baffles my mind that somehow the Big Brown Brick is enjoying its own renaissance. Keep in mind, all of these...

We’ve got Behemoths on the B.A.R. Agenda June 3

Update June 5 – The BAR ruled as follows: Jasper – DENIED. Apartment Building – WITHDRAWN. Hotel – APPROVED. _____________________ Three Behemoths to be precise. Three projects so large, so complex and so controversial, they had to have their own separate meeting happening June 3 at 4:30PM in the Charleston Museum Auditorium (because many many many people will be attending)....

New on the Market: 128 Bull Street – The Joseph Bennett House circa 1814

128 Bull Street is an extraordinary example of a Charleston Double House with Adamesque architecture, right in my own neighborhood, Harleston Village. I am pleased to present this 200 year-old historic home, currently divided into two condominiums – one 1153 sq ft two bedroom on the ground floor, and a spacious, sunny 3,300 sq ft four bedroom on the second,...

Raising Up a Charleston Cottage

Check this out. A little Charleston Cottage hovering in the air at least 5 feet above the ground. The person who is restoring this cottage (built in 1935) has decided to elevate it to the appropriate FEMA flood level, which in this area is 13 feet above sea level. Now, normally I am not a fan of actions that ruin...

I’d Rather have Cold than Mold in Charleston

Yes, for the past couple days, the entire right half of the country has been enveloped in a so-called ‘polar vortex’, with temperatures well BELOW ZERO (huh??) up North, and single digit record breaking temperatures here in the South. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining about Charleston’s recent weather because my northern neighbors would most certainly guffaw,...

Surprise! New on the B.A.R. Agenda – Another Hotel

Update 9/26 – Well, apparently the BAR was not too impressed. They motioned “Denial of height, scale, mass and architectural direction” – with a 7-0 vote. Yikes! _____________________________________ As I wrote about back in May, sometimes what you see on the Board of Architectural Review (BAR) agenda gives you insight into where Charleston’s next boom is. We all know now...

The Charleston Slant – or Why We Sometimes Walk Uphill in Our Houses

I frequently work with clients who are not from Charleston, who have never set foot inside an historic Charleston home until they have done so with me. One of the first things they notice once inside, besides the gorgeous fireplaces or detailed molding, is that occasionally, and sometimes dramatically, the floors slant. Slanting floors?? Ack! Alarm sets in. “Could the...

The Horizon Project. From Concrete to Community in the City of Charleston.

Take a look at this area and tell me what you see. Vast swaths of concrete and cars, a few buildings, a few ball fields. A pretty nice park. It’s an area that is mostly disconnected from other neighborhoods in Charleston – on the south, north and the east. It’s where we locals go to pay our parking tickets, or...

Architecture