Charles Towne Landing

Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site in the West Ashley area of Charleston, South Carolina preserves the original site of the first permanent English settlement in Carolina. Originally opened in 1970 to commemorate South Carolina's tricentennial, this 664-acre (269 ha) site is home to an exhibit hall, rental facility, a natural habitat zoo, ongoing archeological excavations, miles of trails, dozens of picnic tables, a replica tall ship, six fireable replica cannon, and much more. The Tricentennial Commission selected Corkern and Wiggins of Hilton Head, South Carolina in 1968 to design the exhibition pavilion at the site. When public comments criticized a drawing of the proposed pavilion, a member of the Tricentennial Commission released a second drawing that, he claimed, would better present the structure; he noted also that the pavilion would be built near the location of the Old Town egg factory and not on the site of the Waring gardens. Many delays pushed the opening of the pavilion past the opening of the park itself. Problems with the roof of the pavilion were more complicated to fix than expected, and the discussion with the contractor and engineers over repairs continued into June 1970. Plans were finally agreed upon to reinforce the roof with additional columns. The pavilion eventually opened on July 16, 1970. During Hurricane Hugo, the pavilion was damaged and never repaired; permission to demolish the pavilion (and other park buildings) was granted in November 2002.