Easement Highlight: 60 Tradd
"The thing about being a steward is, you’re also the steward of a story. You’re preserving something. You’re bringing something back. You’re almost letting this house retell its own story that it was originally telling. Physically yes, [60 Tradd Street] always looked like something was missing, but also from the sense of story – [the piazza] was a big part of the house’s story. Now, I see 60 Tradd in its fruition.” – Bill Huey, architect
Thanks to the passion and personal connection of its owner, Dr. John Kerrison, the 1732 house at 60 Tradd Street will soon have a newly completed piazza as it once had before falling into disrepair in the late 19th and early 20th century. As an easement property, Director of Preservation April Wood has been working closely with the homeowner and the entire team from the beginning.
Dr. Kerrison’s connection to 60 Tradd Street begins when he was a child growing up on the top floor, after his brother “convinced” him it was the best room in the house. After purchasing the home in 1967, Dr. Kerrison’s parents, close friends of HCF, generously donated an easement on the Tradd Street home, protecting it in perpetuity. “I’m so pleased and honored to be able to be doing this,” Dr. Kerrison says about this project. On a recent site visit, as the new sapele wood columns were being lifted by crane to complete the restored piazza, April met with Dr. Kerrison and lead architect for the project, Bill Huey, as they passionately shared 60 Tradd’s story.
The Story
Conducting historic research through Sanborn maps, Huey was able to confirm the existence and dimensions of the piazza. From there, Dr. Kerrison began to do his own research into the history of the house, looking for archival photographs, records, or anyone who had any memories of the house. “I never remembered the house with a piazza” Dr. Kerrison recalled, but when he spoke to a close friend’s mother, she said, “I was born in that house, but I got out just in time.”
“And that didn’t make any sense to me” said Dr. Kerrison as he continued his research. He knew that the home did not have a piazza when his father purchased the home in 1967, and his father did not remember it having a piazza when his best friend, Jimmy “Tootsie” Lucas renovated the home in the 1950s. So, what happened to the piazza? “Then, I learned about a tornado that came through Charleston in 1938," Dr. Kerrison recalled.
On the morning of September 29, 1938, at 8am, a tropical depression spawned five tornados, including an F2 tornado that formed near James Island, crossed the Harbor, and hit the peninsula just west of the Fort Sumter Hotel on The Battery, causing the most damage on Market and Broad Streets. “I asked Gordan, when was your mother born? When is her birthday?” She was born in early September 1938 – just two weeks before the tornado hit Charleston, and severely damaged the piazza and the third floor of 60 Tradd Street, leading to its deterioration and foreclosure shortly after the storm.
Thanks to this research, Dr. Kerrison discovered archival photographs and even a painting that showed what 60 Tradd Street, and its sister house at 58 Tradd Street, looked like before the 1938 tornado.
Architect Huey says: “If I have a client [from out of town], they might not have the conviction to rebuild a piazza, as far as a return on investment. Some may see it as a superfluous thing that’s just added onto the house, while John, with his personal connection, saw all the value in it. The house now looks complete, it always looked like something was missing. By the rhythm of the openings, the fact that there was a doorway established on the second levels, there had to have been a piazza. Then research said it did. [The house] actually had more piazza than I thought.”
The Construction
60 Tradd Street, when completed, will boast a piazza on all three stories of the home. “When I thought about the piazza, I’m thinking, ‘it’s just like building a deck'” Dr. Kerrison shared, and humbly admitted he was wrong. “Man, this is an architectural and construction masterpiece! I feel like I’ve assembled the Avengers!”
The construction at 60 Tradd is being completed by Gochnauer Construction, Russell Rosen conducted the structural engineering, and the interiors will be designed by Taylor Hill Interiors. The “Avengers” team not only needed to build three stories of piazza, but also rebuilt the base of the home to support the new additions and increase the overall longevity of the home.
To help offset costs of the rehabilitation, Mr. Kerrison applied for Rehabilitation Tax Credits through the SC Department of Archives and History. When asked about this, Dr. Kerrison exclaimed, “It’s a 25% tax credit, it’s huge! That’s dramatic! So, I worked really hard to apply for that.” The tax credit was not the motivation behind Dr. Kerrison’s project, but he shares, “It’s a nice thing that makes you feel encouraged.” Qualifying historic residences are eligible to take advantage of the state program which can make a significant difference in the costs to maintain and repair historic houses.
“It wasn’t cheap to build the base of this piazza, but it will last longer,” Bill Huey says when talking about the project. “I’m often a salesman, trying to tell clients ‘this is better’ or ‘it should be done this way,’ but the sentiment that Dr. Kerrison has with the home, the fact that John has a really strong connection to Charleston, and he has the conviction and the wherewithal to take on a project like this – it’s just a rarity; it’s a pleasure to work with.”
“If you don’t take time to learn about the house, you might not care about its details, or what makes it different.” April Wood, says. “When the owner knows more about a house, the more excited that owner is to be a co-steward in its preservation.” HCF is immensely proud to be a co-steward of this significant house at 60 Tradd with Dr. Kerrison. Thanks to his passion, dedication to the research, and commitment to the preservation and longevity of the home, we know this property is just turning the page on the next chapter of its story.
A very special thank you to Dr. John Kerrison and Bill Huey of Bill Huey + Associates, for spending the morning with our team at 60 Tradd.
The team at 60 Tradd Street includes: Bill Huey + Associates (architecture), Gochnauer Construction, Taylor Hill Interiors.
To learn more about Easement Properties, how to make an easement donation, or if you have any questions about the process, please reach out to Director of Preservation, April Wood at awood@historiccharleston.org. To learn more about State Rehabilitation Tax Credits, visit their website HERE.