So how can a burned-out decrepit house be beautiful? I’ll show you.

So how can a burned-out decrepit house be beautiful? I’ll show you.

Update on January 13, 2017 – It seems strange that I just wrote about this house a short while ago. Since then, structural engineers deemed it unsafe and endangering the homes surrounding it. So the City gave the owner permission to demolish it. Keep in mind – this almost NEVER EVER happens, particularly to such a notable historic property. I’ve...

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...

New on the Market: 783 Rutledge Ave – A Gorgeous Craftsman Home in Wagener Terrace

Years ago I wrote a post about finding a beautiful Craftsman style home in Charleston as you will find many of these lovely places built throughout Hampton Park Terrace, Wagener Terrace and North Central in the 1910s-1940s, and it is quite a sought after style. Though certainly Charleston’s homes differ from those in other areas of the country, you will...

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...

Saying goodbye to one of Charleston’s Greats – Jack McCray

This is not a post about death – so much as it is about life. A dynamite smile. An expansive heart. And a soul that transcended all barriers of age, race and economic class. With Jack McCray – it was only about being true, a quality he had the ability to pull out of each and every one of us....

Vintage Movie of Charleston

Check out this neat video sent to me by a friend, courtesy of Bulldog Tours. It’s called Charleston “City of Proud Memories”. While so much has changed, very little has too…. Here are a few quotes… Somebody has called Charleston the most civilized city in the United States It’s the one place where social life isn’t organized around wealth. Charleston...

Master Preservationist Program – Day Twelve. What’s in a Name?

Apparently, everything when it comes to the value of an historic neighborhood. For Day 12 of our Master Preservationist Program, we met at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity, located at 28 Race St and a fine example of Byzantine architecture. Race St is on the edge of a neighborhood currently referred to as the Westside. The name...

Master Preservationist Program-Day Nine. The Glory of Charleston’s Gardens

Oh how I wish there were some way I could capture the scent of wisteria in a Charleston spring and share it with you. It’s intoxicating. There’s nothing like wandering the streets with your nose as your guide or peeking into our famous walled gardens to catch a glimpse of another time. Here in Charleston, one might be so bold...

Master Preservationist Program-Day Seven. Asphalt & Infill. Just how smart are we?

How many suburban strip malls and parking expanses do you see abandoned and lifeless on a daily basis? Tons. How many ex-urban neighborhoods are now struggling to stay afloat? Many. We are all fatter, we drive more, and we know our neighbors less. Yada yada yada – I know you’ve heard it all. But it’s time to admit that the...

Master Preservationist Program-Day Six. Preservation Law, Upper King St and a Challenge for Local Architects

Little did I know that two of the buildings that were part of my daily life in New York, would have such wide-reaching influence in preservation law in Charleston. I also did not know that Upper King St has many buildings designed by one of Charleston’s most pre-eminent architects. And ANOTHER thing I did not know was that no one has...

Master Preservationist Program-Day Five. Illuminating the Interiors

Wallpaper – NO! Crazy paint colors – NO! Carpet in living areas – NO! Such has been my generic real estate mantra for years, but ah…how tastes change. 150 years ago I would have been most ignorant and unfashionable, and certainly of the lowest socioeconomic class. In our fifth class of the Master Preservationist Program, we focused on Interpreting a Building’s Interior...

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