Neighborhood Spotlight: Wagener Terrace
Handsome Properties August 13, 2021
Handsome Properties August 13, 2021
A walkable and bikeable neighborhood along the Ashley River on the upper Charleston Peninsula, Wagener Terrace is made up of mostly single-family homes and tree-lined streets.
Wagener Terrace is bound by the Ashley River to the west, Rutledge Avenue to the east, Mt. Pleasant Street to the north, and the Hampton Park neighborhood to the south.
Wagener Terrace is named for Frederick William Wagener, one of the many Germans who emigrated to Charleston in the late 1840s and 1850s. After settling in Charleston in 1848, Wagener built a successful retail grocery business that expanded after the Civil War into wholesale groceries and naval stores.
Wagener’s tie to the neighborhood comes from when he owned Lowndes Grove, an estate on the Ashley River that dates back to the late 1700s. Today the property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a popular private venue for weddings and corporate events.
Photo of Lowndes Grove is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Wagener Terrace came into its own as a neighborhood starting in the 1920s when its first roads were paved. Architectural styles include Tudor Revival and Craftsmen homes along with ranchers, Prairie-style, and cottage-style homes. Most homes were built in the 1920s to 1950s.
Wagener Terrace benefits from the involvement of the Wagener Terrace Neighborhood Association, formed in the 1970s to preserve and enrich the neighborhood’s character and quality of life.
Located along the Ashley River in the southwest corner, Lowndes Grove was built around 1786. The estate was bought by a series of owners that included William Lowndes, who represented South Carolina in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1811 to 1822. Restored in 2007 and decorated with period furniture, the Georgian-style home was featured in the 2020 Netflix series “Outer Banks.”
Corinne Jones Park is another neighborhood landmark on the Ashley River side. Once the site of World War II dormitories, the property was renovated in 2011. The park features a playground, a community garden, tennis courts, and basketball courts.
The neighborhood is home to the Rutledge Cab Company, the restaurant co-owned by Bill Murray (he’s the CFO, chief fun officer) that prides itself on serving “at all hours.” Once a convenience store and gas station, this neighborhood restaurant and bar offers breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, and late-night menus. Rutledge Cab Co. is located at 1300 Rutledge Avenue.
Just outside the neighborhood are The Tattooed Moose and Santi’s Restaurante Mexicano, both well-known and highly-rated. Open every day from 11:30 AM to 2 AM, the Tattooed Moose is located at 1137 Morrison Drive. Santi’s is located nearby at 1302 Meeting Street Road.
Nearby in the North Central neighborhood is the Redux Contemporary Art Center located at 1056 King Street. This diversely-focused arts organization offers studio space for artists, free year-round art exhibits, and art classes and workshops on topics ranging from screen-printing, watercolor painting, drawing, and yoga.
Learn more about Wagener Terrace in our neighborhood overview.
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