404 King Street (Old Charleston County Library)

Archive

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Historic Charleston Foundation

404 King Street (ca. 1996): Origsize: 4x6; Origformat: Print-Photographic; Resolution: 75 dpi
404 King Street (ca. 1996)

Origsize: 4x6; Origformat: Print-Photographic; Resolution: 75 dpi

Name/Title

404 King Street (Old Charleston County Library)

Entry/Object ID

KING.404.1

Scope and Content

Constructed 1960. Cummings and McCrady, architects. In May 1958 Charleston County ordered the demolition of the west wing of the Old Citadel, designed by Edward B. White in 1850, due to the proposal to build a new library on the site. The demolition drew less protest than the firestorm of citizen and preservationist ire invoked over what was described by planners as a "modernistic curtain wall library." The structure was called a "birdcage" by some opponents and "violative of every principle of historic Charleston architecture," by a trustee of Historic Charleston Foundation; the sculptor Willard Hirsch, on the other hand, pronounced it "very beautiful." When completed, the 2-story structure with pink marble veneering, metal plaques by sculptor Hirsh, and aluminum trim cost more than $750,000. It served as the county public library until ca. 1998; the new library is at 68 Calhoun Street. (Poston, Buildings of Charleston.) The plan to build a hotel on the site was the subject of much controversy. The new hotel opened in 2018. Folder 1 contains newspaper articles from 1958 discussing plans to build the library, from 1989 about building a new library, and from 2007 about the plans to build a hotel on the site; graduate students' report (Nathan Attard, Nancy Stanley, Stephanie Zike, 2005) which includes historical information, architectural information, and sources; copies of photos of the Marion Square vicinity; documentation (2007) of HCF's opposition to the proposed hotel as planned; article from Traditional Building, "Appropriate Architecture," about the conflicts between Modernism and traditional design (David Payne, 2014). Folder 2 contains pdfs of correspondence and legal documents related to the appeal of BZA zoning decision (HCF and Preservation Society vs. City of Charleston). Filed chronologically (2006-2011). (On DVD.)

Collection

Historic Charleston Foundation Property Records

Acquisition

Accession

KING.404.

Source or Donor

404 King Street (Charleston County Library)

Acquisition Method

Collected by Staff

Lexicon

Search Terms

King Street, Demolished buildings, lost buildings, Libraries--South Carolina--Charleston, Public public libraries--South Carolina--Charleston, Lost architecture--South Carolina--Charleston

Legacy Lexicon

Object Name

Property File

Archive Details

Archive Size/Extent

1 property file 1 folder containing pdfs (on DVD) of correspondence and legal documents pertaining to BZA appeal (2006-2011)

Archive Notes

Associated Material: Clemson HP Graduate Student Thesis (2011): 404 King Street: The Charleston County Library and Modern Architecture in Charleston by Ryan Pierce. Available on PDF via Clemson University catalog. Finding Aids: Index to Property Files Level of Description: Folder

Location

Location

Shelf

Property File Shelves

Room

Margaretta P. Childs Archives

Building

Missroon House

Category

Permanent

Date

February 7, 2023

Location

Container

PF Box 55

Shelf

Prop File Shelves, Property File Shelves

Room

Margaretta P. Childs Archives

Building

Missroon House

Category

Permanent

Relationships

Related Entries

Notes

KING.404.2 Related Units of Description: Charleston Contradictions: A Case Study of Historic Preservation Theories and Policies: Background Research by David Payne (2013.002.126, P384) 404 King Street: The Charleston County Library and Modern Architecture in Charleston by Ryan Pierce (graduate thesis, Clemson University, available online via Clemson University catalog (http://tigerprints.clemson.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2086&context=all_theses) Library Building file in Frances Edmunds Collection, HCF.FRE.03, Box 39.

Related Publications

Notes

Buildings of Charleston (see Abstract), pg. 385 Graduate student thesis (see KING.404.3) David Payne dissertation (see 2013.002.126)

General Notes

Note

Notes: "Appropriate Architecture" also available at http://www.traditional-building.com/Previous-Issues-14/AprilFeature14King.html. BZA appeal documentation on DVD and External Hard Drive.

Created By

admin@catalogit.app

Create Date

September 21, 2009

Updated By

admin@catalogit.app

Update Date

February 17, 2023