Crumbling Beauty

It is not just by chance that the city of Charleston is so beautifully preserved. Charleston is in fact one of the founding fathers of the preservation movement in this country. As early as 1783 the city's municipal government adopted  

the motto: "She guards her customs, buildings and laws."

Almost from the begining, Charlestonians have been keenly aware of the historic beauty of their city & have gone to great lengths to preserve it. Over the years they have progressed from preserving individual structures to protecting the whole historic area. There are now laws in place to prevent destruction or inappropriate modifications of buildings in this district.

These laws while saving Charleston's unique character, have in many cases put a hardship on owners, financially unable to restore their property to city requirements . 

As a result, you see many crumbling beauties, like those pictured here. 

Personally, I  find these faded gems equally as lovely as their pristine, perfectly renovated counterparts.

 It is for example, against the law to remove or replace the corbels or decorative lights that are traditionally placed over Charlestonian front doors. 

I liked how this still corner grocery preserved the old sign while restoring the rest of the building.

All of these details, both the crumbling & the reinvigorated  make up the special character of this unique city.