P R E V I O U S : I N 1 9 1 8 , A YO U N G A R T I S T A N D I L L U S T R AT O R N A M E D N O R M A N R O C K W E L L R E P O R T E D F O R N AVA L T R A I N I N G AT T H E B A S E I N C H A R L E STO N . M A N Y O F T H E WO R KS I N H I S P R O L I F I C O E U V R E , I N C L U D I N G T H I S C OV E R I M AG E , REFLECT HIS YEARS IN THE SERVICE. N AVA L AC A D E M Y OA R S M A N O I L O N C A N VA S NORMAN ROCKWELL, 1921 NORMAN ROCKWELL MUSEUM COLLECTIONS
I N T H E D E TA I L S NEOCLASSICAL INFLUENCES AND ST R O N G A R C H I T E C T U R A L N OT E S M A R K THE BASE’S EARLIEST STRUCTURES INCLUDING THIS GEM FROM 1905.
M A R I T I M E V E S S E L S AT R E S T I N D RY D O C K 1 , P R E S E N T ( TO P ) A N D PA S T ( B O T T O M ) .
HOME BASE CHARLESTON’S HISTORIC NAVY YARD, AND ITS 21ST CENTURY CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC REVIVAL, MANIFESTLY OFFERS A UNIQUE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVE ON THE LOWCOUNTRY’S MARITIME ROOTS. WHAT IS LESS KNOWN IS THE
“The history of Charleston can best be described in three epochs, each of which was defined by its own unique and all-encompassing forces,” says Don Campagna, an archivist, historian and Naval preservationist whose knowledge and tenacity have earned him a reputation as something of a crusader when it comes to documenting and protecting Charleston’s endangered maritime relics. “First, in the 17th century, you have Rice and Revolution. Next comes Cotton and Rebellion in the 18th century. And, finally, there’s the maritime connection and the culture it spawned that dominated the 20th century.”
EQUALLY DEEP ARCHITECTURAL LEGACY OF THE STRUCTURES THAT POPULATE THE SPRAWLING COMPLEX. HIGHLIGHTING A SELECTION OF ITS MOST ICONIC BUILDINGS AND SPACES—EACH OF WHICH HAS ITS OWN STORIES TO TELL—HELPS TO CONTEXTUALIZE THE RICH AESTHETIC LANDSCAPE OF THE AREA AS WELL AS THE ONGOING EVOLUTION OF ITS DESIGN. ON THESE PAGES, WE’RE PROUD TO SHARE THE AWEINSPIRING VIEW WE ENJOY DAILY FROM OUR OWN EXPANDING HOME WITHIN THE YARD.
It’s this last era—which Don, who has come to be one of the foremost experts on the base, as well as a collector of rare material relating to its construction and operation, refers to as the “Maritime Century”—that we’re just beginning to fully understand and appreciate. Fortunately, there’s no better entry point for insight than the Charleston Navy Yard, a sweeping industrial expanse located just north of downtown along the west bank of the Cooper River, where the history of the area remains alive and central to the landscape through a breathtaking collection of iconic landmarks. Spanning roughly 1500 acres in total and encompassing 57 historic structures and buildings, including our own headquarters, plus 120 sites currently in various stages of operation and redevelopment, the Yard is a behemoth. The Yard served the United States Navy from 1903 to 1996, and it reflects the architectural schools of thought and design trends that came up alongside its widening footprint. There’s the Neoclassical style employed during the military base’s establishment and the early years of its installation, from 1903 to circa-1910; the Moderne Industrial form, which dominated from the 1910s through the end of World War I; the federal works projects that were constructed during the interwar period; the largely utilitarian forms prevalent from the emergency period of the late-1930s through the end of World War II; and more recent additions which added their own aesthetic flavor to the collective visage. And then there’s the Olmsted connection. The landscape architecture of the greenways and park that encompass the Yard and its original living, working, shipbuilding and maintenance hubs, were designed by the sons of Fredrick Law Olmsted, who is most famous for his layout of New York City’s Central Park. The Olmsteds’ work, which combined both cultivated and natural greenspaces, is preserved in platts, drawings and meticulous records of everything from the onsite nursery that supplied much of the greenery and landscaping for the Yard, to the horticultural influences of Native Americans who first settled the area, to the generations of colonial descendants who lived there up until the early-20th century.
T H I S S TA I R W E L L D E TA I L O F T H E B AS E ’ S I CO N I C F O R M E R P OW E R BUILDING IS ONE OF THE LAST I M AG E S C A P T U R E D B E F O R E T H I S F LO O R WA S D E M O L I S H E D D U R I N G R E N OVAT I O N L A S T Y E A R .
To tour the complex today is to witness a visual timeline of the Maritime Century on full display. “This is what will come to define how we look back on Charleston a hundred years from now,” Don says.
A V I E W O F T H E B OT TO M O F D RY D O C K 1 , A M A S S I V E F E AT O F E N G I N E E R I N G M A D E F R O M 1 0,0 0 0 I N D I V I D UA L G R A N I T E STO N E S W E I G H I N G 2 T O N S E AC H T R U C K E D I N F R O M A Q U A R R Y FA R T H E R I N L A N D .
B U I LT I N 1 9 0 9 , T H E B A S E ’ S F O R M E R P O W E R B U I L D I N G , O R “ P OW E R H O U S E ,” I S A N E O C L AS S I C A L WO N D E R I N B LO N D E B R I C K .
SERVICE INDUSTRY A B OV E : A V I E W F R O M T H E R O O F O F T H E S H I P F I T T E R S ’ S A I L LO F T, W H I C H S I T S 5 5 F E E T A B OV E A N H I S TO R I C FA B R I C AT I O N S H O P. AT R I G H T : T H E O F F I C E R S ’ Q U A R T E R S C O M P L E X WA S B U I LT O N PA R K GROUNDS DESIGNED BY THE O L M S T E D B R OT H E R S . B E LO W, F R O M L E F T : A N A E R I A L VIEW OF BUILDING 56, URBAN E L E C T R I C ’ S M AC H I N E S H O P ; O N E O F T H E F O U R O R I G I N A L “ PA N A M A H O U S E S ,” N A M E D A F T E R S I M I L A R LYS T Y L E D Q U A R T E R S B U I LT A L O N G T H E PA N A M A C A N A L .
H O N O R I N G T H E PA S T AT R I G H T : B U I LT I N 1 9 4 2 , T H I S S P I R I T U A L TO U C H S TO N E I S K N O W N A S T H E E T E R N A L FAT H E R O F T H E S E A C H A P E L . B E LO W, F R O M L E F T : A M I D - C E N T U R Y F E D E R A L O F F I C E B U I L D I N G ; WAT E R D E P T H MARKERS ON A SHIP IN DRY DOCK 2. B O T T O M : R E L I C S F R O M T H E S A I L LO F T.
“In the WWI and WWII era of the Navy’s history, this was one of the most prolific shipyards in the country. At its peak, you had 25-28,000 people working out here and in the machine shops at a time. It was the leading employer for Charleston,” says Elias Deeb, the Chief Operating Officer of CMMC, the 25-yearold company who took over much of the operational oversight of the portions still supporting the maritime community, including the US Navy, following the base’s closure in 1996. “And this old sail loft [right] is a beauty, such a cool reminder of that bygone time.”
THE ANCHOR OF THE URBAN ELECTRIC CAMPUS AND ONE OF THE OLDEST B U I L D I N G S O N T H E N AV Y YA R D.
T H E F LO O R S I N B U I L D I N G 3 A R E M A D E O F A L AY E R O F C O N C R E T E , S A N D A N D S I D E -T U R N E D P I N E B LO C K S T O C U S H I O N T H E T O N N AG E O F S T E E L A N D M E TA L S H A F T S T H AT U T I L I Z E T H I S C E N T U R Y- O L D M AC H I N E S H O P F O R R E PA I R S .