The Davidson Lofts

This project involved the renovation and addition of a 16,600sf portion of a 26,000sf mixed-use historic building in downtown Charleston on the corner King and George Street. The existing historic building was made up of several buildings that had been combined to form the old American Hotel. Due to a large fire in it’s history, the entire roof structure had been replaced, and many of the thick brick walls separating the bays of the building had been damaged. The existing 2nd floor space was being most recently used as10 office spaces.

This project involved transforming the 2nd floor into 7 high-end condo units, using the rhythm of the existing bays of the old building and maintaining the two existing stair entries and a majority of the existing corridor from the historic hotel use. A 3rd level was added in each to create loft spaces that overlook new roof decks.

Special care was taken to retain historic details while adding modern features into the building. The 2nd floor had existing dramatic historic windows along it’s King and George Street elevations, which allowed for natural daylighting in each condo. These windows were restored and replaced where necessary. A detailed survey was done of each space to leave the brick exposed in locations where the historic brick had not been damaged by the fire.

Modern details included lofts lined in glass to allow additional natural light to penetrate into the condos and give a modern feel within the historic fabric, steel stairs and private roof decks. These roofscapes were all hidden behind the historic parapet of the building so that from the street view, the historic building remained unchanged. Modern features such as an elevator and sprinkler system were also added to the building to create a safer and more accessible structure.

The result was 7 high end condos, each with private roof decks, in a unique historic building in the heart of downtown Charleston, South Carolina.