Jim Wigley: Shoring Up Our Structures

Jim Wigley is a modest local Historic Restoration Specialist whom colleagues describe as a “technically savvy contractor who knows how structures work and behave.” His carpentry skills and his education in historic preservation are largely self-taught, and his work on the iconic Simmons-Edwards House, c. 1800 at 14 Legare Street provided him with valuable restoration experience.A native of Dallas, Jim moved to Charleston in the 1970s, worked on wooden boats, owned an ocean going tug and worked diligently in the construction business. Since concentrating in the historic restoration area, Jim has worked on notable landmarks such as Grace Chapel in Rockville, the Blacklock House on Bull Street, the Circular Church, the Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul and the William Aiken House.Jim has “seen it all” through a wealth of experiences and is unflappable even when the work is stressful. His largest project came in the 1990s with the Charleston County Courthouse site. This complex project included an important colonial-era statehouse turned courthouse, a proposed new county office building, moving the historic Meyer-Peace House from Courthouse Square to a site facing Broad Street and navigation of a huge archaeological site in the center of the complex.In 2006, Jim began work on the Confederate Home and College. The structure’s main façade was on the verge of falling out onto Broad Street. What started out as crack repairs in the stucco and stone, turned into a scary project as the columns were cracked and crushing the windows. Jim noticed that the piers were moving, monitored their movement, and devised a system to shore up the walls and façade as needed and replaced the piers. Local engineer John Moore says that only reason this building did not end in disaster was because Jim knows how buildings behave and how they react with different interventions.In 2016, for his commitment to preservation, his superior skills and his numerous contributions to the restoration of Charleston’s historic architecture, HCF awarded Jim the Samuel Gaillard Stoney Conservation Craftsmanship Award which recognizes craftspeople in the Charleston area who have kept alive the tradition of excellence in the building trades.