New changes could be coming to the Charleston Place Hotel

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Historic, iconic and could be getting some major renovations soon.

The City of Charleston’s Board of Architectural Review unanimously granted conceptual approval for proposed changes to the Charleston Place Hotel Wednesday afternoon.

City of Charleston Officials said the proposed changes include a new entryway off Meeting Street and some notable changes along Market Street.

The City of Charleston’s Director of Planning, Preservation and Sustainability Robert Summerfield said they are looking to change the way the hotel connects with the street. He said they want to open the shops up to the street, elevate the sidewalk, and add an outdoor plaza space- creating more of a street presence.

“I think that will be very interesting and cool for shoppers and folks that are traversing from meeting street over to king street and vice versa in the future,” Summerfield said.

Other proposed changes include replacing the canopies from green to black, adjusting the roofing, and replacing the King Street clock tower and glass roof- which was the only part of the proposed plans that board members wanted changed.

“About the King Street clock tower- at this point, after 30- some odd years- it now has a character of its own,” Jay White, a member of Charleston’s Board of Architectural Review, said.

Barbara Moverman, who is visiting from out of town, said she liked the changes, but agreed with board members about the King Street Clock.

“I think the changes are good, I like the new look,” Moverman said. “The only thing is, I do like the clock. I think keep the clock, it’s a trademark and it’s a nice look.”

We reached out to The Charleston Place who provided us a statement:

Almost exactly a year ago, Beemok Hospitality Collection (BHC) transitioned The Charleston Place to a locally owned and managed independent hotel. We promised the community that we would make significant investments to this iconic landmark, and we continue to follow through on that commitment. In the past year, we have made several enhancements to the hotel including refreshing The Palmetto Cafe, Charleston Grill, Meeting at Market, Community Perk and The Boutique, as well as introducing new programming, activations, and signature experiences including holiday snowfall and our community-wide Easter Eggstravaganza. Throughout these touchpoints, our sole purpose is to create meaningful ways for our colleagues, communities and guests to connect and share extraordinary experiences.

As we look ahead to the next chapter of The Charleston Place, our long-term vision requires thoughtful planning and partnership with the City of Charleston as well as key stakeholders. While we have presented initial plans to reimagine nearly all spaces within the hotel over several phases, we are very early on in the process. We look forward to sharing these plans with the public once they are approved and we have a timeline for completion

Summerfield said the proposed plans have to undergo two more Board of Architectural Reviews before they are finalized, but he said he anticipates the process will go fast because it’s an existing building.

For more information about the proposed plans for the hotel, click here. 

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