Charleston Kitch
With an Architectural Review
Board that rules over a historic city such as Charleston, South Carolina it runs a high risk
of overreaching in its power and in recent years it seems as if they may have
gotten power hungry or developers just know what to feed them. With the tremendous
growth in the past ten years, the cheap, fast architecture of Charleston made
to replicate itself for the sake of the ARB can make one feel like you might be
walking through Disney’s park of Charleston in some new developments. The
hunger for Charleston kitch goes so far to deny permits of new construction
that take a post modern approach. Charleston may be going down a road where it
will it will end up becoming a carnival caricature of its once self.
Houses in a new Charleston, SC subdivision
Rendering of a new Publix in Charleston to be built.
Proposal for Clemson School of Architecture building denied by Charleston ARB.
This is a very relevant topic in Charleston for sure.
ReplyDeleteIt stems from what the tourists also expect Charleston to be.
The BAR, DRB and the Planning Department along with the Historic and Preservation Society are juggling with it.
The BAR's heavy-handed presence on the peninsula of Charleston is justified. Architecture is the defining feature of Charleston, and it's preservation and upkeep is important in maintaining the city's identity.
ReplyDeleteYour point about the newer developments off the peninsula is spot-on. These little Disney villages are sterile and fake, there is no character and it really feels strange driving through ones like I'on in Mount Pleasant.
The BAR gets it right more times than not. Tourism sustains the city mostly because of the architectural aesthetic that the BAR's presence creates. It also has reached into neighboring towns like Mount Pleasant and while it may be frustrating I actually see it as good thing. Their is a sense of continuity from one place to the next and it ensures that even more mundane buildings such as grocery stores are handled with care in terms of aesthetics.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your point, Chelsea. I think modern, context-sensitive buildings can be built in a historical context (this happens all the time everywhere else in the world!) and the result makes the architectural context of the city more rich. Copies of history don't preserve much, look at all the temple fronts we see everyday just driving around Clemson/Greenville/any other American city! It's a fear of the unknown messing up a good thing in Charleston, but the ARB there can just look to any major European city to see how history and contemporary architecture can mix.
ReplyDeleteI think you make a great point, Chelsea. Much of Charleston's new architecture is suburbanized and standardized. Once you leave the historic district, it can be hard to tell what city you're in. I think the BAR does a great job of preserving the historic architecture that's in the city and making sure new architecture doesn't distract from the unique architectural style that Charleston has to offer. However, they are not so good at making sure new architecture in the city reflects that style. A lot of development is happening in areas immediately outside of the peninsula, such as West Ashley and Mt. Pleasant, and the most cookie-cutter buildings are being approved by the BAR. New buildings don't necessarily need to imitate the architecture that's downtown. They actually can't because of zoning, but there could definitely be more effort put into making sure the contemporary architecture in the area has an identity.
ReplyDelete