Doin' the Charleston Renaissance: A connoissur Tour Featuring Cultural Rebirth After the Civil War

Event Details

This entertaining and educational tour is focused on the enduring legacy of artists who gave rise to Charleston's Literary and Cultural Renaissance following the Civil War. "Yes, times do change; I live in a town which being old is becoming new; where the new is welcomed and the old is still loved." These words by artist Alice Ravenel Huger Smith evoke the remarkable transformation of Charleston from a downtrodden, depressed city at the dawn of the 20th century into the remarkable, vital and culturally rich city it is today. The cultural revival, known as the Charleston Renaissance, was a multi-faceted, multi-disciplinary phenomenon that took place in the Holy City roughly between 1915 & 1940.

This walking tour provides guests an opportunity to experience firsthand the art, music and places that embodied the Charleston Renaissance. The tour includes properties associated with Renaissance artists, including Elizabeth O'Neill Verner, DuBose Heyward, Alfred Hutty, the Jenkins Orphanage Band, Alice Ravenel Huger Smith, Josephine Pinckney, Susan Pringle Frost and more. During the Renaissance, the Society for the Preservation of Old Dwellings was founded by Susan Pringle Frost, the predecessor of today's Preservation Society. No private interiors are included. All proceeds support the Preservation Society of Charleston which was founded in 1920 as the nation's first community-based historic preservation organization. It's mission is to inspire honor and respect for Charleston's architectural and cultural heritage.