Name/Title
108 Meeting Street (Frances R. Edmunds Center/Shops of Historic Charleston Foundation)Entry/Object ID
MEETING.108.01a-cScope and Content
Constructed 1930-31; renovations and additions, 1985-86, 2007.
This building was originally constructed by Standard Oil of New Jersey as a gasoline filling station. Three houses dated between 1782 and 1805 had been built on this site, but they were torn down after the Standard Oil acquired the property in 1929. Considerable public outrage ensued over this demolition. To assuage the local indignation, the company retained Charleston preservation architect Albert Simons to design a suitable building for this corner lot which would be in keeping with the historic character of Charleston. Using brick, as well as elements such as columns, balusters and window surrounds saved from the concurrent demolition of the Gabriel Manigault House at 288 Meeting Street, Simons designed the service station in the Colonial Revival style. Some found the station charming but others did not. The demolition of the original structures and the construction of this service station inspired the city council to enact America's first historic zoning ordinance in 1931 and also create the nation's first historic district and Board of Architectural Review. Acquired by partial gift from Standard Oil in 1985, Historic Charleston Foundation converted it to use as a preservation center, named for longtime director, Frances R. Edmunds. The building housed The Shops of Historic Charleston Foundation, where licensed products and other Charleston-related items were sold to generate income for HCF's preservation efforts. (Poston, Buildings of Charleston.) This store was shuttered in March 2024. Currently, the property is being leased to the City of Charleston for their Civic Design Center.
MEETING.108.01A: Files include FOHG house histories (1995, undated); other narrative histories; newspaper articles; draft of National Register Part I Certification application; "Prospectus for Preservation Center and Book Store"; "Resume of the Development of a Preservation Center for Historic Charleston Foundation"; historical research by Harlan Greene, including maps and plat; photocopies of photos; photocopy of sales contract between Exxon and HCF (12/30/1985); correspondence related to the formation and operation of the Preservation Center; Preservation Center Committee minutes; research on "future" preservation center; Preservation Center construction bids and details; miscellaneous information including signage, certificate of occupancy, projects, exhibits, merchandise, fundraising efforts, documentation of the discovery of wells; etc.
MEETING.108.01B: 1985 Preservation Center contract information related to the renovation.
MEETING.108.01C: 2007 retail renovation contracts and plans.Collection
Historic Charleston Foundation Property RecordsAcquisition
Accession
MEETING.108.Source or Donor
108 Meeting Street (Frances R. Edmunds Center)Acquisition Method
Collected by StaffLexicon
Search Terms
Meeting Street, Demolished buildings, lost buildings, Adaptive reuse, Gas stations, Historic buildings--South Carolina--Charleston, Commercial buildings--South Carolina--Charleston, Historic Charleston Foundation, Lost architecture--South Carolina--Charleston, Service stations--South Carolina--CharlestonArchive Details
Archive Size/Extent
5 document boxes, approx. 2 lin. ft.Archive Notes
Archivist's Notes: Two files of unsorted documents need to be incorporated. Appears to be lots of duplication; contents of notebooks are probably redundant. Historical/miscellaneous information file is organized. All others need to be reprocessed.
Finding Aids: Index to Property Files
Level of Description: FolderLocation
Location
Container
Document BoxShelf
Archives C-5Room
Margaretta P. Childs ArchivesBuilding
Missroon HouseCategory
PermanentDate
February 7, 2023Relationships
Related Entries
Notes
2020.012.8a-b, MEETING.108.02, MEETING.108.03, MEETING.108.04, MEETING.108.05, MEETING.108.06, MEETING.108.07, MEETING.108.08, MEETING.108.09, MEETING.108.10, MEETING.108.11, MEETING.108.12, MEETING.108.13, MEETING.108.14, MEETING.108.15, MEETING.108.16, MEETING.108.17a-b, MEETING.108.18, MEETING.108.19, MEETING.108.20a-g, MEETING.108.21a-l, MEETING.108.22, MEETING.108.23a-e, MEETING.GEN.6, MEETING.GEN.7Related Publications
Notes
Buildings of Charleston (see Abstract), pg. 188General Notes
Note
Notes: Image #2 in this record discovered for sale on eBay and provided by Kevin Eberle on 7/20/2020.
Documentation in MEETING.108.01B and C was originally housed in three-ring binders.Created By
admin@catalogit.appCreate Date
July 6, 2010Updated By
sduffy@historiccharleston.orgUpdate Date
July 15, 2025