City investigating after historic building collapse in downtown Charleston

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – A piece of Charleston’s history may virtually be lost forever after a historic building under construction collapsed in downtown Charleston over the weekend.

The incident is now under investigation by the Board of Architectural Review for an “unpermitted demolition”.

“The loss of this building is heartbreaking. It’s tragic and it could have been prevented,” Anna-Catherine Alexander the director of advocacy initiatives with the Preservation Society of Charleston, said.

It was once a freedman’s cottage dating back to the late 19th century.

“This building had a very unique roof form. It’s actually one of the only freedman’s cottages in the city that had this unique half-hipped roof form. And from what we can tell, the building was original to kind of the earliest period of development on Line Street,” Alexander said.

It sat abandoned for 60 years, according to the developer behind the project, Zachery Highfield of the Premium Property Group.

In an apology letter sent to deputy building official Gary Pope on Monday, Highfield wrote they are “deeply saddened by this event, and we feel horrible, despite our best efforts to preserve the integrity of the building.”

He also noted it had “significant damage” from flooding, termites and fire.

Catherine Yetman, who lives nearby, says she’s never seen anything like this in the 11 years she’s lived in Charleston.

“I was shocked but mostly thankful that no one had been walking on the sidewalk at the time,” she said. “It survived two tropical storms, it survived Milton and it just couldn’t survive a random sunny day.”

Highfield wrote that they had been working to elevate the structure by six feet.

Though it’s unclear what exactly caused the structure to fail, Alexander says the non-profit has seen a “noticeable trend” of developers opting to demolish without permission.

“When demolition occurs, without proper review and approval, we lose the chance to preserve the integrity of these buildings and the stories that they have the ability to tell,” she said.

They hope moving forward the BAR will deny an after-the-fact request for demolition which could also result in a fine of up to $1,087. That’s the maximum for any municipal offense in the city of Charleston.

In September 2022, a similar request was denied for a property located at 194 Nassau Street. A fine of $800 was imposed, according to city spokesperson Deja McMillan.

Highfield, in his letter, wrote “[t]he penalties incurred in that case could have put our business at risk had we been in their position, which is why we approached the 190 Line Street project with the utmost care and caution. We knew that any similar situation could be catastrophic for our organization.”

Alexander questions if there is enough incentive to keep historic buildings preserved.

“We have been in conversation with the city, just about strengthening enforcement of the ordinances that exist. The more capacity that staff has to be the eyes and the ears of the citizens of the city to ensure that this type of activity does not occur and does not cause harm to our historic buildings and neighborhoods, the better,” Alexander said.

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