Read Brothers Building Hard Hat Tour

593 King St,Charleston SC 29403

24 May, 2022

Description

Celebrate National Preservation Month with the Preservation Society of Charleston! The Read Brothers Building (c. 1912), located on the corner of King and Spring streets, originally opened as the Read and Dumas five and dime store and remained the home of Read family-run businesses for over a century. In 2017, the Read Brothers’ stereo and fabric store was forced to close due to dangerous structural issues. Join the PSC with architect Simons Young, and local preservation and research consultant Brittany Lavelle Tulla, to learn more about the building’s past and its ongoing restoration. To learn more about upcoming Preservation Month events, click here! PRESERVATION MONTH MAY 2022 National Preservation Month is an exciting time for preservationists and organizations all across the country, but especially for those in Charleston. Charleston has become synonymous with the work of historic preservation, not only because it is one of America’s oldest cities, but because of the role it has played in establishing the preservation field. Founded in 1920, the Preservation Society of Charleston was the first grassroots historic preservation organization in the country, and subsequently, Charleston was the first city to pass a local zoning ordinance that protected historic buildings. This ordinance served as a model for hundreds of municipalities across the country, and has made Charleston the unique and beloved city that it is today. Originally established in 1973 as National Preservation Week, the month of May was officially declared National Preservation Month in 2005 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in order to promote historic places and heritage tourism, and demonstrate the social and economic benefits of historic preservation. For this reason, the Preservation Society of Charleston puts on a series of events each Spring to educate the public about the importance of advocacy and historic preservation. The Preservation Society hopes to shine a light on the remarkable preservation projects taking place in and around the city. Hard Hat Tours provide an opportunity to see these projects in process, and gives patrons a chance to hear from the architects, contractors, or designers. Social events, like the Preservation Happy Hour and Picnic, allow us to engage with community partners, local businesses, residents, and friends of the PSC. We hope you will join us for this year’s Preservation Month events!