1945
Kenneth Chorley, President of Colonial Williamsburg, delivers an address to the Carolina Art Association on "The Challenge to Charleston," calling for the creation of a foundation to "take the initiative in and to coordinate all the activities of your preservation and educational programs." 

1947 
Historic Charleston Foundation is incorporated as an educational, not-for-profit preservation organization. Frances R. Edmunds becomes the Foundation's first employee in 1948 and later serves as its first executive director, shaping groundbreaking preservation initiatives and leading HCF for nearly 40 years until her retirement in 1985. 

1948
The first Festival of Houses is established to generate revenue for the new preservation organization and to educate the public about Charleston's architectural heritage and the benefits of preservation. The first expenditure of proceeds from the Festival will be in 1952, when HCF pays half the cost to restore the pediment of the Old Exchange Building at the eastern end of Broad Street. Proceeds from the 1953 Festival pay off the mortgage of the Heyward-Washington House, 87 Church St., so that The Charleston Museum can continue to operate it in the public domain as the city's first house museum. The Festival will develop into one of America's oldest and most prestigious heritage tour programs, incorporating 150 historic properties and 600 volunteers over the month-long tour season. Proceeds continue to support preservation initiatives. 

1950-59
HCF leads efforts to save the Bennett Rice Mill on Charleston's eastern waterfront after it was condemned as a fire hazard and threatened with demolition. Hurricane Donna will destroy all but the façade in 1960. In the wake of Hurricane Hugo, HCF will establish the Building Crafts Training Program and the façade will become the training ground for a new generation of skilled craftspeople and artisans qualified to rebuild and restore the city's architectural heritage. 

1955
HCF purchases the Nathaniel Russell House, c. 1808, one of the nation's finest examples of early 19th century Neoclassical architecture. The house opens to the public as a museum a year later. In 2001, more than 53,000 visitors will experience the grandeur of the property's spacious gardens, free-standing spiral staircase, ornate interior details, oval dining and drawing rooms, and period furnishings, many of which were crafted by 19th century Charleston artisans. 

1957-76
HCF establishes the nation's first Revolving Fund to rehabilitate the Ansonborough neighborhood. By buying a property, restoring it, selling it to a preservation-minded buyer, then reinvesting the proceeds to purchase another house in the neighborhood, HCF establishes a pioneering urban renewal and preservation initiative that continues to serve as a national model. By 1976, HCF has saved a six-block neighborhood, including 60 buildings. 

1958
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Woodward's long association with HCF begins with their support of the Ansonborough rehabilitation project. The Philadelphia couple first donates the Gadsden-Morris House, c. 1800, at 329 East Bay St. The structure is stabilized and will be partially restored in 1960, helping to save an important part of East Bay Street that buffers the northeast end of the Ansonborough neighborhood. The Woodwards later donate to HCF the Robert Primerose House at 332 East Bay St., c. 1817, and the Isaac Jenkins Mikell House, c. 1853, at 94 Rutledge Ave. The latter building is one of the most visually imposing structures constructed in Charleston before the Civil War. In 1987, Mrs. Woodward becomes a lifetime trustee of HCF. 

1962-66
HCF acquires a number of threatened properties. In 1962, the Foundation purchases Presqu'ile at 2 Amherst St., the Stephen Shrewsbury House at 311 East Bay St., and the Andrew Moffett House at 328 East Bay St. The William Blake House at 321 East Bay St. is donated to HCF in 1965 and the Foundation purchases the Faber House at 631 East Bay St. in the same year. The William Henry Houston House at 44 Charlotte St. is donated to HCF in 1966 and, after decades of 20th century neglect and two fires, the property is rehabilitated. The Foundation will manage these properties before returning them to private ownership in now-stable neighborhoods. 

1966
After noteworthy losses to Charleston's stock of historic buildings, HCF sponsors a zoning study that leads to a significant revision of the city's 1931 zoning ordinance. The Old and Historic District expands to triple its former size with the inclusion of neighborhoods like Ansonborough and Harleston Village that lie north of Broad Street. In addition, the Board of Architectural Review is given power to deny demolitions. 

1966-70
HCF relocates four historic houses from the site of the new Gaillard Municipal Auditorium at Calhoun and East Bay streets so that they will not be destroyed. Using federal funds, HCF restores the Arch Building, c. 1800, at 85 Calhoun St. 

1968
Through the Broad Street Beautification Plan, HCF coordinates an extensive face-lift of an architecturally impressive four-block stretch of Broad Street dominated by 18th, 19th and 20th century commercial buildings. Palmetto trees are planted, power lines buried, incongruous signage removed and a paint color scheme instigated. 

1968-75
Concerned that increased commuter traffic on the western end of Broad Street would compromise the city's Historic District, HCF opposes plans for the proposed terminus of the new James Island bridge and asks that it be located further north. Calhoun Street eventually will be selected as the terminus location. 

1971
Frances R. Edmunds receives the coveted Louise du Pont Crowninshield Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation for HCF's innovative, far-reaching preservation efforts. 

1971-74
HCF plays a key role in the development of the city's Historic Preservation Plan of 1974. At the core of this plan is the most elaborate inventory (2,288 buildings) of historic structures in Charleston ever undertaken, dividing them into four categories - exceptional, excellent, significant and contributory - based on both architectural importance and preservation potential. One of the most significant changes to result from this plan is HCF's height ordinance proposal passed in 1978 to ensure the integrity of historic streetscapes south of Calhoun Street. 

1972
HCF establishes the Historic Charleston Reproductions program and hires Alison Harwood, former editor of Vogue magazine, to direct it. HCF's licensed products program, which furthers the knowledge and appreciation of Charleston's decorative arts heritage, will become one of the most successful in the nation. Income from royalties and retail sales continue to support the Foundation's preservation mission. 

1972
With the purchase of 6 Judith St., HCF begins a concerted preservation effort in the Mazyck-Wraggborough neighborhood. 

1973-89
As a part of its educational mission, HCF opens and operates the Edmondston-Alston House at 21 East Battery as a museum house. 

1973
HCF plays a pivotal role in negotiating and raising funds for the eventual acquisition of Drayton Hall by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Foundation continues to participate in the management of Drayton Hall, considered to be the finest example of Georgian Palladian architecture in America, in co-stewardship with the National Trust and the State of South Carolina. 

1974
The Nathaniel Russell House is designated a National Historic Landmark. 

1974
The HCF Reproductions Shop opens at the corner of Broad and King streets. 

1977-85
HCF takes a leading role in discussions regarding the development of the hotel-convention complex that will become Charleston Place, an eight-story, 450-room hotel and convention center in the heart of downtown Charleston. The Foundation brings in nationally recognized architects to suggest design changes for the complex, initially conceived as 12 stories, which will make it more compatible with its historic environs. Careful planning and successful completion of this project will re-establish King Street, "Charleston's weak, sick spine" according to Frances Edmunds, as the city's most important commercial artery.

1977
HCF targets two uptown neighborhoods, Radcliffeborough and Elliottborough, for stabilization and a program of home ownership, known as the Home Ownership Program, for low- to moderate-income families. 

1982
HCF establishes its conservation easement program, which allows property owners to cooperatively control future exterior changes and land development adjacent to historic properties while receiving Federal tax deductions. By 2001, HCF will protect more than 290 historic properties in Charleston through this initiative. 

1982
HCF underwrites a tourism management study for the city. The resulting Tourism Management Plan, adopted by the city in 1994, regulates the size and direction of buses and carriage groups in the Old and Historic District. 

1983-88
HCF directly influences the design and siting of the federal courthouse annex to make the Hollings Judicial Center more in character with the historic Four Corners of Law on Broad Street. 

1983
HCF assists in the restoration of the oldest graveyard in Charleston at the Circular Congregation Church, 150 Meeting St., the site of Nathaniel Russell's burial place. 

1984
HCF purchases the William Gibbes House, c. 1772, at 64 South Battery, to save it from development as an inn or condominiums and to prevent the subdivision of its garden, designed by Loutrel Briggs, for townhouses. The house will be sold in 1986 to a conservation-minded buyer who donates an easement to ensure its future as a single-family residence. 

1984
As a member of a coalition calling itself Friends of Historic Snee Farm, HCF joins with other preservationists to purchase and protect the 18th century homesite of S.C. Governor and framer of the U.S. Constitution Charles Pinckney (1757-1824). The site will open to the public in 1995 as the Charles Pinckney National Historic Site, operated by the National Park Service. 

1986
The Frances R. Edmunds Center for Historic Preservation opens in a renovated Standard Oil of New Jersey gas station, c. 1930, designed by architect Albert Simons at the corner of Meeting and Chalmers streets. The center is dedicated to public education and provides exhibits relating to the history and preservation of Charleston, as well as architectural artifacts salvaged from grand Charleston buildings that have been destroyed. It also contains public meeting areas and a museum shop offering books, educational materials and items relating to the history of the area. 

1986
A challenge grant prepared by HCF provides seed money to establish the Lowcountry Open Land Trust. 

1987
HCF purchases Mulberry Plantation, c. 1711, an 800-acre plantation on the Cooper River in Berkeley County, thus saving it from development as a golf course and suburban neighborhood. It will be sold in 1988 to a conservation-minded owner who donates the most comprehensive easement ever received by the Foundation. 

1987
HCF establishes Charleston Heritage Housing Inc. as a separate non-profit corporation designed to provide affordable housing in uptown boroughs. The organization will be reorganized in 1990 as Charleston Affordable Housing. 

1988
Demonstrating how preservation can serve as a proactive form of urban planning, HCF plays a leading role in the formation of the Calhoun Corridor Partnership, which includes the College of Charleston and Medical University of South Carolina. The work of this partnership results in the City's decision to hire national architectural and urban planners to prepare a comprehensive master plan known as the Calhoun Corridor Study. 

1988-2001
HCF plays a leading role in the debate to restore the aging County Courthouse, one of the Four Corners of Law. The arrival of Hurricane Hugo in September 1989 brings the debate to an abrupt head, as the storm extensively damages the structure and allows HCF and city consultants to study the building in-depth. HCF successfully argues that as an anchor of the Broad Street corridor for more than 300 years, re-establishing the Courthouse at its historic location is essential to maintaining the character of Broad Street as a vital commercial, legal and banking center. The Foundation helps to establish the Friends of the Courthouse, which will raise $1 million for interior restoration and furnishings and encourages Charleston County to locate its judicial center adjacent to the courthouse to guarantee its viability as a working court of law. 

1989
Historic Charleston Foundation undertakes a massive citywide damage assessment in the months following Hurricane Hugo, whose eye passed over Charleston on Sept. 22. 1990s
In the wake of Hurricane Hugo, HCF establishes the Architectural Monuments Fund and, in cooperation with others, the Charleston Preservation Disaster Fund, both national fund-raising campaigns to help finance emergency stabilization efforts after the storm. Beneficiaries include several local churches and the Confederate Home. 

1990
In his will, Willie McLeod leaves partial interest in McLeod Plantation, c. 1858, on James Island to HCF. The Foundation purchases full title to the property by 1993, saving the plantation, with its complex of antebellum outbuildings and archaeological resources, from future development. 

Hurricane Hugo serves as the catalyst for HCF to bring teams from the National Park Service's Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) and the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) to Charleston to document historic architecture through measured drawings and photogrammetry. In the event of future natural disasters, buildings can be restored or even reconstructed based on these archival records which are housed in the Library of Congress. 

1993
The Colonial Dames lease the Old Powder Magazine, c. 1712, to HCF to ensure its proper restoration. HCF will restore and reopen the building, an important reminder of Charleston's early years as a walled city, to the public in 1997. 

1994
The U.S. Department of Energy awards HCF its National Energy Award for Building Technology in recognition of its efforts to weatherize 100 homes in older, low-income neighborhoods. 

1995
HCF purchases the Aiken-Rhett House, c. 1818, from The Charleston Museum to guarantee that it will remain a house museum within the public domain. The site serves as the nation's most intact example of a 19th century townhouse complex, interpreting the lives of the 13 slaves who lived and worked in its outbuildings, as well as those of Gov. and Mrs. William Aiken Jr.'s family. 

1995
Pursuing the original goal of the Home Ownership Program to secure the future of 10-15 buildings above Calhoun Street, HCF begins the Neighborhood Impact Initiative in Elliottborough. The Foundation first purchases 33 Bogard St. to restore and sell it to a moderate-income purchaser. All buildings restored under this program are secured with restrictive covenants to ensure their continuing historic value. 

1995
The first HCF-sponsored student from the esteemed International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) program completes his internship. ICOMOS places highly selected preservation professionals from around the world under the tutelage of preservation organizations in an effort to promote a better understanding of international preservation policies, methods and techniques. Professionals from Ghana, Slovakia, Turkey, India, Benin, Bulgaria and Lithuania have since contributed to and learned from the Foundation.

1996
As programming expands, HCF purchases and relocates its offices to the third floor of the historic Missroon House, c. 1808, at 40 East Bay St. When restoration is completed in 2001, the building will serve not only as the Foundation's headquarters, but also as a state-of-the-art preservation and archival center for those interested in restoring historic structures or researching Charleston's architectural history. 

1997
The HCF Board of Trustees receives the Trustees Award for Organizational Excellence from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. 

The Buildings of Charleston is written by Jonathan H. Poston for Historic Charleston Foundation and published by the University of South Carolina Press. The product of years of original research, this award-winning reference book on the city's historic architecture covers more than 1,100 buildings and includes more than 1,000 illustrations. It assumes the mantle of the venerable This Is Charleston by Samuel Gaillard Stoney to become the definitive resource on the sites that make up Charleston's Old and Historic District. 

1998
HCF undertakes a six-year, museum-quality restoration of the Nathaniel Russell House to its 1808 appearance, based on thorough research and using state-of-the-art restoration techniques. The Getty Foundation recognizes the national reputation of HCF and the Nathaniel Russell House with a prestigious grant for the project. 

1999
HCF drafts a nomination to the National Register of Historic Places for nearly 70,000 acres of historic properties and landscapes along the Cooper River. 

2000
USC Press, in cooperation with HCF, publishes Historic Preservation for a Living City by USC Professor Robert R. Weyeneth. The book captures the Foundation's first 50 years and charts its path-breaking approach to preservation from early pioneering initiatives to today. 

2001
On June 28, the Charleston County Courthouse reopens nearly 12 years after it was heavily damaged by Hurricane Hugo. For more than a decade, HCF played a major role in persuading county government to undertake an extensive restoration of the Courthouse, c. 1792, at its historic location, thereby ensuring the economic viability and historic character of Broad Street. 

In October, HCF officially opens its new headquarters, The Capt. James Missroon House, at 40 East Bay Street. In addition to housing the Foundation's staff, the building also provides an archive for research, a technical library, the Sally Reahard Reading Room, and a community meeting room that seats up to 60. 

2002
Thanks in large part to the efforts of HCF's work with other public and private entities, an area of about 30,000 acres that includes South Carolina's oldest plantation house, remnants of Colonial rice fields and cemeteries along the Cooper River, is named to the National Register of Historic Places as the Cooper River Historic District, the largest such district in the state. 

The Charleston County Judicial Center opened in the heart of downtown Charleston  on Aug. 30 after 13 years of planning, guidance and advocacy by HCF and other organizations, achieving the feat of sensitively fitting a large, modern building into an 18th century streetscape.

2003
As part of its Neighborhood Impact Initiative, HCF completes restoration and resells 236 St. Philip Street, c. 1850s, with protective covenants to a first-time homebuyer with family ties to the Elliottborough neighborhood. 

Having competed a major restoration of the Old Powder Magazine on Cumberland Street and operating the site as a free educational museum for more than seven years, HCF returns stewardship of this important historic building to the Colonial Dames. 

2004
Historic Charleston Foundation initiated the Charleston International Antiques Show, a new earned-income and educational program that brought 33 world-class exhibitions, representing the most recognized names in American, Asian and European antiques. The three-day event showcased a full spectrum of period furnishings, decorative pieces and fine art, with diverse selections ranging from late 17th to the 20th century, including furniture, vintage jewelry, needlepoint samplers, oriental rugs, ceramics, architectural items, garden furniture, portrait miniatures, porcelains, quilts and silver. 

2005
The Foundation's nationally renowned Revolving Fund was revitalized, thanks in large part to a bequest by Mrs. Charles Woodward. HCF purchased and successfully sold with protective covenants 79 Anson Street, 9 George Street, and 13 Pitt Street.

Historic Charleston Foundation receives a prestigious Save America’s Treasures grant to begin restoring and protecting the exterior of the Aiken-Rhett House, the first step toward a multi-year restoration/conservation effort for this unique historic property. The Aiken-Rhett House was named one of America’s “Ten Grandest Mansions” in the July/August issue of Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel Magazine.

2006

The Mayor’s Walled City Task Force, a  collaboration between the city and a number of individuals and organizations including HCF, began conducting archeological studies on Charleston’s early colonial walls, bastions and redans.  Charles Town was the only English walled city built in North America.  The fortifications existed from the 1690s until the 1730s.  Portions of the walls of Granville’s Bastion, the “Great Fort,” remain beneath HCF’s  Missroon House headquarters.

2007

In honor of its 60th anniversary, HCF donates $75,000 to the city of Charleston to undertake a much-needed update of the city’s ground-breaking Preservation Plan of 1974.

This enormous project, the result of intensive research, planning and community input, will serve as a lasting gift to the community.

2008

The Mayor’s Walled City Task Force, under the leadership of Katherine Saunders, co-chair, uncovers a wealth of artifacts and new information in an archaeological excavation of Charleston’s original fortifications wall under what is now South Adger’s Wharf.

HCF consolidates its retail operations and opens the newly renovated Shops of Historic Charleston Foundation at 108 Meeting Street.

The Nathaniel Russell House and Captain James Missroon House both celebrate their 200th anniversaries. To mark the occasion, HCF publishes Grandeur Preserved: The House Museums of the Historic Charleston Foundation, featuring beautiful photography and histories of both of HCF’s house museums, the Nathaniel Russell House (c. 1808) and the Aiken-Rhett House (c. 1820).

HCF was recognized as one of the state’s most fiscally responsible nonprofit organizations by the S.C. Secretary of State, reflecting its commitment to using donor contributions efficiently and effectively. 

2009

The National Trust for Historic Preservation presented its Preservation Honor Award to HCF in recognition of Charleston’s revised Historic Preservation Plan. The city and consultants Page & Turnbull, Inc. were recognized as co-recipients. Developed through a partnership between the city and HCF, the plan examines social, economic and cultural issues affecting preservation.  The plan offers strategies for defining individual neighborhoods, addressing sprawl, gentrification, disaster management and the need for affordable housing.

2010

The Foundation organizes and hosts a public forum titled, “A Delicate Balance,” to discuss issues regarding future plans for downtown Charleston.  As an outgrowth of the forum, the Mayor assembled the Edwin Gardener Task Force, co-chaired by the Mayor and Historic Charleston Foundation’s Executive Director, Katharine (Kitty) Robinson.  Also, the Foundation joins forces with the City and Habitat for Humanity in an unprecedented partnership to restore a Charleston single house near the old Cooper River Bridge for occupancy while maintaining its historic integrity.

2011

Historic Charleston Foundation is selected to present the loan exhibit at the 2011 Winter Antiques Show in New York. Grandeur Preserved: Masterworks Presented by Historic Charleston Foundation showcases objects from the Foundation’s outstanding collection as well as significant items from other leading Charleston institutions.   Also in 2011, an independent study of the cruise ship industry’s impacts on the city’s economy, environment and quality of life is commissioned. Historic Charleston Foundation commits to lead the community in a transparent and collaborative manner that strengthens relationships among community residents and businesses, the City and its elected officials, the SPA and its board. In June 2011, the Foundation opens the anchor store at the newly renovated City Market, greeting thousands of shoppers with Historic Charleston Foundation’s mission as they step into one of Charleston’s most well known landmarks.