Moshe Safdie, internationally-acclaimed architect, speaks at the Charleston Museum tomorrow, sharing the design principles and backstories of a number of his projects, including one of his current projects, the Medal of Honor Museum located at Patriot’s Point. The talk is a collaborative event, presented by the Charleston Museum, Gibbes Museum of Art, National Medal of Honor Museum, and the Jewish Federation of Charleston. Safdie’s talk is held at 6 p.m. and tickets can be purchased online.
About $19 million has been raised for the museum so far, according to P&C, despite some upset in leadership at the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation.
The change in leadership hasn’t been the only roadblock though. Earlier this year, the Mt. Pleasant Planning Commission denied plans for the museum based on its proposed 140-foot height.
Earlier this month, Safdie talked with P&C about the importance of the building’s height in his overall design plan, saying, “I thought that somehow the physical presence of the museum should be balancing out and a counterpoint to the aircraft carrier.”
Mt. Pleasant mayor Will Haynie has some, well, difference of opinion, telling the paper that if the town raises the height limit on buildings, “Then we’ve created a situation where we have entitled some of the most valuable waterfront land on Charleston Harbor with a height that is much higher than what the ordinances of the town of Mount Pleasant say … That has put us in a very bad position.”
Needless to say, this talk could get interesting — with a 90,000 square foot building at stake.
According to the Safdie Architects’ website, the National Medal of Honor Museum “is a new museum dedicated to the story of the National Medal of Honor — the nation’s highest military award for valor in combat. Alluding to the five-pointed star design of the medal itself, the museum is composed of five inclined volumes of gallery and exhibition spaces surrounding a dramatic day-lit Great Hall.”
[content-1] Back in 2012, CP wrote about the proposed museum in its very initial stages — and the Medal of Honor Society was looking for $100 million to build. At the time Patriots Point Development Authority chairman, Ray Chandler, said, “We fully expect that this project will serve as a catalyst for additional investments at Patriots Point. This will include both cultural and appropriate commercial and hospitality uses of the highest quality.”
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