Gaillard Center

An effort to fund a convention center failed by a vote of 4627 to 3112 in 1958.[2] In his second inaugural address in December 1963, Mayor Gaillard proposed building a civic auditorium.[3]

Mayor Gaillard appointed a special committee to investigate the possibility of building a convention center in Charleston on December 30, 1963 made of members of City Council and the public.[4] City Council again began taking steps for a November 1964 bond referendnum in April 1964.[5] Mayor Gaillard asked Charleston County Council to contribute $1 million toward the project, an amount which would reduce the bond issuance.[6] A design by Frank E. Lucas and Sidney W. Stubbs, Jr. was chosen following a competition.[7]

A special committee with three City Council members and four citizens studied several issues including the ideal location for the new auditorium.[8] In May 1964, the committee proposed as the site for the auditorium the 6.75 acre tract bounded by Calhoun St. (north), Alexander St. (east), George St. (to be extended to East Bay St. from Anson St. along the south), and Anson St. (west).[9] In the final report, the committee rejected the idea of placing the new complex east of the Old Citadel because there would be inadequate space. Instead, the committee recommended the area bounded by Anson Street (west), Calhoun Street (north), and Alexander Street (east). The committee also recommended extending George Street from its terminus at Anson Street by running it eastward to East Bay Street. The committee had prioritized keeping the center near the intersection of Calhoun and King Sts. (the site of the Francis Marion Hotel) so convention guests could walk to the center from hotels and motels.[9] The committee also noted the location would result in the removal of much substandard housing without also damaging historic buildings: "This area contains one or possibly two small buildings of minor historic value, and both of them are in a terrible state of disrepair."

The original structure, the Gaillard Municipal Auditorium and Exhibition Hall, opened in July 1968.

Constructing the new facility was a central priority of mayor Joe Riley's administration. The opening, planned for early 2015 in time for the city's Spoleto Festival,[10] was delayed by six months due to budgetary overages.[11] Yo-Yo Ma performed at the opening of the center.[12]

For over 40 years, it served as Charleston's star venue for thousands of memorable performances and civic events. When it first opened, the contemporary Gaillard Auditorium was a symbol of ambition for Charleston's economic prosperity, cultural growth, status, and civic pride.

With its 1,800-seat Rivers Performance Hall and a large multipurpose exhibition facility, the Gaillard became Charleston's largest performing arts venue. The Gaillard became home to the Charleston Symphony Orchestra in the early 1980s, and with the founding of Spoleto Festival USA in 1977, it helped propel Charleston onto the world stage.[13]

Noisette Garden at Gaillard Center

The Historic Charleston Foundation relocated a few of the houses to save them from demolition. The double tenement at 85 Calhoun St. was left in place and restored by the Historic Charleston Foundation.[14] The house at 116 Anson St. was moved to an unknown location on Laurens St. in 1966.[15]

• 
  82 Anson St. was moved from 86 Anson St.[16]
• 
  74 Anson St. was moved from 15 Wall St.[17]
• 
  61 Laurens St. was moved from 114 Anson St.[18]
• 
  85 Calhoun] St. was restored in place.