Quantifying the Transformation of the Built Environment as a Result of Cooper River Bridge Construction in Charleston, South Carolina

The demolition of historically undervalued vernacular architecture for the construction of transportation projects has created a large-scale, cumulative loss of architectural heritage nationwide. This thesis quantifies the architectural loss caused by the construction of the series of Cooper River bridges in peninsular Charleston and Mount Pleasant. This study assesses the transformation of the built environment as a result of each bridge’s construction by determining the quantity of architectural loss, identifying forms and materials of architectural loss, and differentiating the effects of bridge construction on the more rural Mount Pleasant side compared to the urban peninsular Charleston side. Also assessed in this thesis is the amount of architectural loss captured in two architectural surveys, each completed in anticipation of bridge construction. This research offers a localized lens into the nationwide trend of prioritizing transportation needs over the preservation of cultural heritage. The research utilizes a mixed-method approach that includes archival research, retroactive surveying, and spatial mapping to investigate the physical effects of the series of Cooper River bridge construction projects on the vernacular architecture of peninsular Charleston and Mount Pleasant. By using three case studies that impacted the same area over the span of eighty years, this thesis offers a comprehensive understanding of the physical impacts, in the form of demolition, of each individual bridge and the cumulative impacts of the series of bridge construction. The research revealed no architectural loss for the construction of the Grace Bridge and large amounts of architectural loss for the construction of the Pearman and Ravenel Bridges. It also revealed that peninsular Charleston experienced all the architectural loss, while Mount Pleasant experienced new construction and growth. The building forms and materials demolished for bridge construction were primarily local, vernacular architectural typologies. The findings of this thesis indicate that transportation projects may have cumulative or secondary effects that preliminary architectural surveys do not account for. This thesis also reveals the need for more comprehensive documentation practices for architectural surveys completed in compliance with Section 106. The findings and implications of this thesis are increasingly significant as growth and development pressures increase both locally and nationally, heightened by large-scale federal infrastructure endeavors that aim to expand transportation infrastructure through 2026.