Demo by MUSC at Fort Johnson

Some time ago, MUSC proposed demolishing what they call "the President's House," an old cistern, and two accessory buildings.    This is located at end of Fort Johnson Road at what we usually think of as the Department of Natural Resources facility.   MUSC had in mind building a conference center in its place.  

The location provides one of the best views on James Island.    There is a small lawn in front of the house that provides a great view of Fort Sumter, the Ravenel Bridge, and the Charleston Peninsula.   The DNR area is open Monday through Friday from 9 to 5.   I suggest checking it out.

This entire area is in the Town and it is necessary to get a Demolition Permit from the Town before demolishing any building.   Of course, a zoning permit would have been needed to construct the new facility too.   MUSC's architects had been discussing the project with our Planning Director.

As the Town Planning Director discussed these plans with MUSC, she explained that they would need approval from the State Historic Preservation Office (SPHO) before demolishing what looked to be historical buildings.   They did go to SPHO, and SPHO said that these facilities were of historical significance.   MUSC ignored that, and got the state engineer to say they could demolish the buildings, though that letter said they needed to discuss it with their local government.   I ended up on the phone with the President of MUSC and explained that everyone involved, including any firm that did an illegal demolition, would be getting tickets.

Thankfully, that crisis ended.    MUSC agreed that they would only go forward with a demolition after they received a permit.   Plans for a new facility are on hold and the Town, DNR, the College of Charleston, and MUSC are looking to renovate what we like to call, "the Harbor Master's House," so that it is a shared use facility.   This is a multi-million dollar project and would require some contribution of funds by all the entities.  

However, the other buildings are more questionable.   One is falling to pieces.   They say the other has serious problems, but it is still standing.   The cistern looks solid enough, but it has a wooden top and MUSC is worried that someone might climb up there and fall through.

So, MUSC has put on permanent hold any plan to replace the "Harbor Master's House" or demolish it.   But they are proposing to demolish the cistern, and the two other buildings.   They worked with SHPO to develop a mitigation plan.

All of these buildings were given to MUSC by the U.S. government in the fifties.   For many years, the President of MUSC lived in the house that they were given.    However, for many years after that, it was a faculty office.   All of the buildings were likely built in the early twentieth century by the Federal government as part of the quarantine station.   Part of MUSC's mitigation is to pay for more research on the cistern and the buildings.   They will also provide interpretive signage on the site about the quarantine station.    They will carefully document the buildings that are demolished.

They are asking the Town's Board of Zoning Appeals for a variance to demolish these buildings that have historical significance along with the mitigation plan they developed with SHPO.    

I greatly appreciate that MUSC has agreed to follow proper procedure.