Charleston Waterfront Park
| Waterfront Park | |
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| Location | Charleston, South Carolina |
| Coordinates | 32°46′41″N 79°55′31″W / 32.77806°N 79.92528°WCoordinates: 32°46′41″N 79°55′31″W / 32.77806°N 79.92528°W |
| Area | 12 acres (4.9 ha) |
| Created | 1990 |
Waterfront Park is a twelve-acre (5 ha) park along approximately one-half mile of the Cooper River in Charleston, South Carolina. The park received the 2007 Landmark Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. This award "recognizes a distinguished landscape architecture project completed between 15 and 50 years ago that retains its original design integrity and contributes significantly to the public realm of the community in which it is located."
The location of the park, between Vendue Range to the north and Adger's Wharf to the south, had historically been a center of maritime traffic with several wharves and shipping terminals. The area entered a long period of decline, capped in June 1955 by a fire at a steamship terminal at the site. By 1980, the site was an "overgrown area marred by charred pilings and gravel parking lots."
Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. began making plans for a park on the site soon after taking office in 1975. Acquisition of land began in 1979, and after more than a decade of planning, fund-raising and clearing environmental hurdles, the parks department and Ruscon Construction Co. broke ground in 1988. Work on the $13 million park progressed into 1989, and a target opening date was set for May 4, 1990. In September 1989, Hurricane Hugo struck, causing about $1 million of damage to the park. Nevertheless, the park opened on May 11, just one week past the pre-hurricane projection.
The park was designed by Stuart O. Dawson of Sasaki Associates with assistance from Edward Pinckney Associates and has received many design awards. The park is composed of distinct sections. At the northern entrance to the park at the foot of Vendue Range (a street in Charleston), a large fountain was built which anchors the end of the park. From the fountain, Vendue Wharf is a wide, wooden pier which extends into the Cooper River and offers sheltered swings. A floating dock is attached at the far end and provides unobstructed views of the Ravenel Bridge, Charleston Harbor, Castle Pinckney, the U.S.S. Yorktown at Patriot's Point, and Fort Sumter. The pier extends into the river approximately the same length as the Tidewater Terminals, Inc. facility had, and its charred pilings from the 1955 fire are still visible.
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