Union Pier
A Better Way Forward
Union Pier property in downtown Charleston, South Carolina.
Union Pier, a 70-acre site, has functioned as a working waterfront for centuries. In 2020, the State Ports Authority (SPA) contracted with real estate development company Lowe Enterprises to prepare the property for sale. The quickly-developing project led the Preservation Society of Charleston to explore the history of the site to better understand its evolution and cultural significance.
History of Union Pier
The massive concrete slab that comprises present-day Union Pier might, at first glance, seem like a blank slate, but it has a rich, storied past. Archival resources, such as maps, newspapers, and photographs reveal that the wharves that existed within the Union Pier property footprint served as an anchor for Charleston’s domestic and international trade and manufacturing industries, and had an undeniable impact on Charleston’s historic development.
Union Pier in 1926, after it was purchased by the City of Charleston.
The waterfront landscape in this area changed drastically throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries as marshland was drained and infilled, and the peninsula was expanded. Original small, wooden-plank wharves were replaced with concrete piers, stretching into the harbor and increasing the waterfront's capacity for large vessels.
Origin of "Union Pier"
The Union Pier property was originally comprised of many historical wharves. One of these was “Union Wharf” (established c. 1842), which was so successful that just four years later in 1846, it expanded and absorbed three adjacent wharves – Knox’s Wharf, Marsh’s Wharf, and Williams’ Wharf – and was renamed “Union Wharves #1-4.” In 1922, the City of Charleston purchased Union Wharves #1-4, and the wharves were consolidated and expanded into one large pier, which the city named “Union Pier.” The State Ports Authority took over ownership of the property in 1947.
Union Wharf
The South Carolina Steam Cotton Press (also known as Union Cotton Press Wharf Co.) opened at Union Wharf in 1845, and anchored operations on this site. This was one of the busiest ports in Charleston, with goods such as sugar, cotton, coffee, Spanish cigars, lemons, molasses, hay, palm leaves, shelled almonds, figs, raisins, grapes, sugar-cured hams, sweet potatoes, honey, whiskey, rice, coal, brass nails, sheet metal, lime, and more brought in by vessels and sold at the Union Wharf Store.
Union Pier's Connection to the Slave Trade
The slave trade was associated with at least five historical wharves that were once located on the Union Pier site -- Mey's Wharf, Williams' Wharf, Patton's Wharf, Fitzsimon's Wharf, and Union Wharf. Enslaved Africans were bought and sold in this area, and rewards for runaways were advertised as being available at these wharves.
Shipbuilding
Established in 1869, Pregnall's Shipyard operated out of Pregnall's Wharf and Merchant's Wharf in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, adjacent to naval store warehouses. The company was renamed Valk & Murdoch Iron Works in 1912, and then became Charleston Dry Dock & Machine Company in 1919. In 1930, the company completed the first entirely welded commercial ship built in the United States, the M/S Carolinian, a significant contribution to the field of marine engineering.
Skilled Trades
In 1821, John Corby leased a part of Knox's Wharf to open a blacksmith’s shop. Seventeen years later in 1838, a devastating fire destroyed the blacksmith shop, as well as the adjacent New York Steam Packet Co., in minutes. The damage was irreparable, and Corby filed for bankruptcy. Other skilled trades that operated in the Union Pier historical footprint were ironworks, foundries, and carpentry shops.
Early Tourism and Leisure Cruises
Established in 1849, Mt. Pleasant & Sullivan's Island Ferry Company provided leisure cruises and excursions to visitors and residents of Charleston to Mt. Pleasant, Sullivan’s Island, Fort Sumter, and other waterfront locations. During peak summer seasons, the ferry company carried up to 7,000 passengers a day, and even helped transport citizens to safety before and after hurricanes struck.
Bennett Rice Mill
Governor Thomas Bennett initiated the construction of the Bennett Rice Mill in 1844 using enslaved labor. It is one of the most impressive examples of pre-Civil War industrial architecture in Charleston.
The Bennett Rice Mill saw its peak in the decade between 1850 and 1860, when more than three million bushels of rough rice were sold. The businesses declined during the Civil War, and the mill closed its doors in 1911. In 1924, it was briefly turned into a factory for Planters Peanut and Chocolate Company before becoming vacant once again.
The Bennett Rice Mill was recorded in the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1934. After a tornado ripped the mill's roof off in 1938, the Preservation Society of Charleston advocated for its preservation and repair.
Ultimately, a compromise between the City, the owners, the fire department, and preservation organizations was made in 1961 to preserve the façade of the structure and reinforce it with a series of metal braces. The ruin remains intact today but is in need of immediate stabilization.
Mosquito Fleet
Charleston's “Mosquito Fleet" was a small group of African American fishermen that formed before the Civil War and survived until the 1970s. The earliest mention of the Mosquito Fleet in local newspapers dates to 1885, when the fishermen were praised as "steady, sober, industrious, and fearless."
Through decades of hardship, including hurricanes, tornados, low rates of catch, dangerous gales of wind, high death rates, and more, Mosquito Fleet fishermen persevered, becoming a cultural touchstone of Charleston, even long after their heyday.
Historical maps clearly show that the 70-acre Union Pier property was originally water or marshland that has been filled in over time – only about 36 acres, or 51%, is now high ground. The original wooden-plank, 19th century Union Wharf evolved to become today’s massive, concrete Union Pier.
This timeline shows select historical wharves and businesses that once existed on the Union Pier site.
Union Pier in the 1950s (left), versus the present-day.
Union Pier Today
The South Carolina State Ports Authority (SPA) has long contemplated redevelopment of the 70-acre site, with several proposals presented over the years beginning in 1990. Previous concepts envisioned expansion of the cruise industry at Union Pier, which the PSC and our partners across the preservation and conservation community consistently opposed. The SPA currently uses Union Pier Terminal to move breakbulk cargo, like heavy equipment and other oversized goods, and introduced year-round cruise operations in May 2010.
1994
Charleston City Council approves abandoning the City's reverter rights to four parcels on Union Pier that would allow the city to reclaim ownership if port operations ceased, helping unlock the site for future development. 1
1995-1996
A redevelopment plan for Union Pier is presented and approved by City Council.
1998
The Charleston Downtown Plan is published and recommends that new development should express the fine grain and small scale of the city, create new housing, employment opportunities, and open space. Two hotels were recommended along the eastern edge of downtown, one on Union Pier (200 rooms) and one fronting onto Calhoun Street (100 rooms).
2009
After more than a decade, SPA re-initiates redevelopment conversations after Carnival Cruise Lines announces plans for year-round operations at Union Pier. 2
2010
SPA announces plans for a new cruise ship terminal facility. After two years, the plans are halted. 3, 4
2020
The SPA approves a professional services agreement with Lowe Enterprises to entitle and sell the non-maritime portion of Union Pier. As part of the agreement, Lowe maintains the right of first refusal to purchase and develop the property.
2022
The SPA announces the termination of its contract with Carnival Cruise Lines that allows the company's ships to home port in Charleston, effective in late 2024, as well as the abandonment of contentious plans for a new cruise terminal. The current Union Pier passenger terminal will remain, but operations will be scaled back significantly, with an annual allowance of 104 smaller ships making shorter-term, port-of-call stops.
Future Development
Lowe began community engagement for the Union Pier master planning process in Fall 2022, leading to a fast-paced public review timeline, which culminates with Planning Commission and City Council review in summer 2023. The PSC and our partners at the Coastal Conservation League (CCL) and Historic Charleston Foundation (HCF) are actively pressing for a community-led vision for the site.
The current developer-led plan proposes building sizes and density that are not compatible with Charleston’s historic built environment. The plan also lacks adequate open green space and resilience measures which should be the core focus of any large-scale master plan on the water’s edge.
Core elements of the plan, such as affordable housing and the proposed public financing structure, are not yet known. Having worked together to halt disruptive and environmentally damaging cruise homeport operations, the PSC, CCL, and HCF continue to collaborate to protect the historic district of Charleston.
Present Day Union Pier Site vs. Current Proposal
The PSC, along with community neighborhoods across the peninsula like Ansonborough, Garden District, North Central, South of Broad, and Eastside have voiced concerns about the impact the development will have on the character of the neighborhoods and the lack of community benefit this project proposes. Whilst there is balance and benefit to development, the necessity to put community first is alarming. As the city of Charleston continues to evolve, we welcome new neighbors to enhance livability and quality of life, but we ought not to ignore the precedents to lay the foundation to what can and should be an extension of a beautiful city.
The following images are interactive -- sliding the arrows left and right will allow you to see present-day Charleston and a rendering of what this location would look like after Union Pier's redevelopment.
Market Street View
Wentworth Street
Corner of East Bay Street and Hasell Street
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