October 2018 Park of the Month: Hampton Park
This past year the Charleston Parks Conservancy has expanded its community programming in Hampton Park furthering its mission of connecting people to their parks. These new community events have included Jazz Brunch in Hampton Park, the Art in the Parks exhibit, and the Hampton Park Ice Cream Social where the public was invited to learn more about forthcoming improvements to Hampton Park and Corrine Jones Park. All while long-time Conservancy programming such as “Teddy Bear Picnic” has had their home in Hampton Park since 2009.
Although these Hampton Park Projects are a ways from completion that hasn’t stopped them from hosting events for the 2018 fall season. On October 22nd the Charleston Parks Conservancy is hosting their second Jazz Brunch in Hampton Park of the season featuring jazz musician Asa Holgate and local food trucks Brunch Holiday, Roti Rolls, and Kay’s Southern Gourmet. To learn more about Jazz Brunch in Hampton Park click here.
On October 18th the public is invited to Art in the Parks at our final showing of the public art exhibit by Atlanta artist Joseph Dreher. The event features a special lighting and projection display of the “Plant Vitae” installation located near the lagoon on the northern edge of Hampton Park along Mary Murray Drive.
In August 2015, the City of Charleston approved a lease allowing the Charleston Parks Conservancy to renovate and manage several vacant and deteriorating facilities at Hampton Park, including the obsolete police mounted patrol stable, former concession stand, and the old park superintendent’s cottage. The Conservancy’s goal is to return these facilities to public use as high-quality assets that contribute to the overall community experience at Hampton Park.
Rose Pavilion
In the first phase, the Conservancy will revitalize the former concession stand and surrounding landscape at Hampton Park. Rose Pavilion will serve as a place for community gatherings and as a central location for new park programs and community events.
The renovation of the physical structure will be accompanied by extensive hardscape renovation, including the creation of a large terraced seating area surrounded by a newly designed heirloom rose garden for the public to enjoy.
Rose Pavilion is named for the heirloom rose collection in Hampton Park and for a notable contribution to the world of horticulture that originated in Charleston. In addition, the Conservancy has developed conceptual plans for the restoration of the historic park cottage and new multi-use community center on the north side of the park.
Jubilee Hall
Located just off Mary Murray Boulevard in Hampton Park, Jubilee Hall will be a multiple-use indoor/outdoor community center with its own well-tended gardens, walking paths, restrooms, covered screened porch, small meeting rooms, community event space and a dedicated parking lot. The project includes a substantial renovation of the historic park superintendent’s cottage that dates to the 1901 West Indian Exposition held in Hampton Park.
The development of Jubilee Hall will extend the horticulture programs in Hampton Park to an area of the park that currently does not welcome the public.
Jubilee Hall will also serve as an educational and interpretive center for the Hampton Park community. The history of Hampton Park is a storied one that is rarely told to residents or visitors. An important part of this revitalization project will be to create an experience at the park where visitors can understand its history.
The name Jubilee Hall has a celebratory spirit, but it also has a deeper historical meaning. For enslaved African-Americans, “jubilee” meant the time of the coming of freedom. It is this spirit of freedom and jubilation that the Conservancy would like to bring to Charleston with this new community center. Development of Jubilee Hall will be a multi-year planning and design process.
The future improvements to Hampton Park will enhance the already-beloved public spaces and offer even more opportunities in the future for the Hampton Park community to engage with their park. To learn more about the upcoming Hampton Park Projects click here..