Winslow’s Word, May 2023

Posted: May 3, 2023

Each May, Historic Charleston Foundation and similar organizations across the country celebrate Preservation Month. While preservation is at the core of our mission and something the Foundation fulfills daily, it is a poignant reminder each year of the value and importance of the work we accomplish in our community. This year, the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s theme is “People Saving Places”, which could not be more appropriate for the work highlighted in this letter.

For HCF’s recent annual Charter Day Awards, we honored and celebrated trailblazers and standouts in the world of Lowcountry preservation. From homeowners and craftspeople to architects and advocates, the Foundation takes pride in recognizing those who have made significant efforts and strides in helping retain the cultural and historic fabric of Charleston and the Lowcountry. (For a full list of award winners, visit our website HERE.)

But the reality is that anyone can make an impact in their communities and be the “people” in “People Saving Places.” You can make a difference and stay informed by attending our Advocacy Forum on May 18^th at The Charleston Museum. This free, public event will focus on the planned redevelopment of Union Pier downtown and will feature a panel discussion with Historic Charleston Foundation and our coalition partners at the Preservation Society of Charleston and Coastal Conservation League. Your attendance and participation is vital to being an informed ambassador for appropriate common-sense development, and your voice can help steer the direction of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Charleston.

Congratulations to all of our 2023 Charter Day Award Winners! 

2023 Charter Day Award Winners | Top: Mark Ball with Strawberry Chapel (Whitelaw Founders Award), Jane and Mike McLain (Whitelaw Founders Award), Richard Habersham (Joseph H. Peter McGee Award). Middle: Karl Beckwith Smith (Stoney Craftsmanship Award), Strawberry Chapel Representatives, Anne Blessing (Chair, Board of Trustees), Sheila Wertimer (Stoney Craftsmanship Award), Christian Sottile (Joseph H. Peter McGee Award), Ray Hamilton Morrison (Whitelaw Founders Award). Front: Jamie Westendorff (Special Recognition), Andrea Hazel (Stoney Craftsmanship Award), Winslow Hastie (President & CEO), Glenn Keyes (Whitelaw Founders Award).

3 responses to “Winslow’s Word, May 2023”

1. Dorothy Rumenik says:

   May 3, 2023 at 6:33 pm

   My mother was from Charleston, and as children we would often come to Sullivan’s Island – she and her family lived on Rainbow Row in the blue house, which they named My Blue Heaven . ( I believe it is now painted purple!) We would go there often during our summer vacation.

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2. Dorothy Rumenik says:

   May 4, 2023 at 11:50 am

   I have a apecial place in my heart for Charleston, even though I do not live there. My mother’s family was from Charleston, and we spent many a summer vacation at Sullivan Island. Her father was a West Point graduate who grew up in Charleston. As a child growing up w3 spent many summers going to Sullivan’s Island, and today we all cherish our long ago childhood memories.

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3. Ledlie Bell says:

   May 4, 2023 at 2:38 pm

   My deep disappointment that I will be flying off to a college reunion on the morning of the Advocacy Forum cannot be overstated.
   Fortunately those with deep ties and past leadership roles have written some excellent letters to the editor, which I have quoted in urging friends and acquaintances to contact their City Council representatives and to follow developments through you, the Preservation Society and the conservation league.
   The Preservation Society should run an “ad” advocating for community engagement showing the last slide at their spring meeting at the Refinery on April 25. The juxtaposition of a rendering of the big blocks of tall mixed use bland buildings with a photography at ground level of houses in Ansonborough dwarfed by them makes a powerful statement to motivate citizens to get involved. So would any photos taken on the boat trip that you offered earlier.
   On that boat cruise to the Coast Guard station the idea of using some of the Union Pier waterfront to build some houses with Charleston architectural features resonated with me, as I spoke with Whitney Powers. Perhaps a offer of some pro-bona work by such local talent could lead to some sketches that could compete with the inaccurate watercolors used in add to promote the SPA plan.
   Similarly such a group could illustrate ideas of how to incorporate the Bennett Rice Mill fragile facade into a concert venue for summer performances. The late CSO conductor David Stahl promoted the idea of having a waterfront summer concert place.
   As I stated during the public comment time at the discussion of affordable housing on April 20, many good ideas have found voice at these three public presentations that warrant a real pause for the members of the Planning Commission and the Council with the Mayor to absorb them and insist on some of them to make the current SPA plan palatable.

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