The Dewberry Hotel

Awarded: Robert N.S. and Patti Foos Whitelaw Founders Award for Historic Preservation, presented by Historic Charleston Foundation, 2017

McMillan Pazdan Smith in association with Gibson Guess Architects, renovated the Mendell Rivers Federal Building in downtown Charleston, SC into a 155-room luxury hotel. Dewberry Capital Corporation bought the building, located on Meeting Street across from Marion Square, in 2008 from the General Services Administration — after the circa 1960s, modern building had been sitting dormant since the early 1990s. The Dewberry is one of the tallest buildings in the city, and the new 8th floor includes a spa, fitness space, pool, and meeting area. The new street level includes the hotel living room, café, bar, signature restaurant, and 1,500 SF event space with an exterior lawn for formal events. Hotel rooms each become special spaces because of the building’s tall slender windows that accentuate spectacular views of the Ravenel Bridge, downtown Charleston, and historic Marion Square.

McMillan Pazdan Smith collaborated with Gibson Guess Architects to design the core and shell, and Workstead designed the interiors with a nod to the mid-century modern exterior featuring natural wood, marble flooring, gold accents, and other warm, rich finishes.

The project completed in Summer of 2016.

In Association with Gibson Guess Architects