Guggenheim Terrace renovation nearly complete, dedication set for May 2

New park to host Daniel Island’s Afternoon Farmers Market and other events

The construction equipment that’s become a frequent sight at the epicenter of downtown Daniel Island is finally gone and in its place is a new look. A wooden deck, guardrails, seating, and palmetto trees adorn the place where overturned ground was the focal point for portions of the past year. The sight overlooks two fountains inside a pond, completing the park now known as Guggenheim Terrace.

The former Guggenheim Plaza was part of a revitalization effort that began in 2018.

“[We] wanted to create a vibrant space for casual day-to-day use that anyone could go and have lunch there, coffee, and I’m so thrilled to see that it’s already being used that way, organically. It’s super encouraging,” said Daniel Island Property Owners’ Association Vice President of Community Services Jane Baker.

The project owes its success to a $1.5 million grant from the Daniel Island Community Fund, which is also supporting a spruce up of the waterfront park along the Wando River.

Engineering firm Thomas and Hutton completed the design work for Guggenheim Terrace.

“This was a great opportunity for this heart of downtown and to be this gathering place for the citizens there,” said Thomas and Hutton’s Landscape Architect and Regional Director Steve Dudash. “We wanted to make sure it was large enough to accommodate some fairly large events, perhaps even a little concert. But, also when there’s not a big thing happening, it feels right. There’s some smaller spaces, but they’re sort of expandable.”

According to Baker, Guggenheim Terrace is at “95 percent completion.”

“We still have additional landscaping to do, we still have more furniture to come, but we want to layer things in as we see how it’s used, instead of just putting everything out right now,” she elaborated. “We want to see how it’s being used and be able to tweak furniture plans and things like that over the course of the next couple of months.”

The new name for the park, Guggenheim Terrace, is a slight shift from the old moniker, Guggenheim Plaza. Baker explained that the word change is a reference to the site’s different landscaping features.

“Terrace is another name for a park or plaza, but because we have actually done a terraced effect in the park—you go from hardscape to grass to a masonry knee wall down to a wooden deck—that’s a terraced effect,” she said. “Guggenheim Terrace seemed to really fit the bill.”

The name Guggenheim references Daniel Island’s former owner, the late Harry Frank Guggenheim.

Baker and the POA aspire for the park to be a formal and informal meeting place for residents. A weekly farmers market is already hosted at Guggenheim Terrace every Thursday afternoon, and a holiday festival is slated in the park for the winter.

“To me, Guggenheim Terrace is now a public space of the caliber that has come to be expected out of every excellent public space on Daniel Island,” Baker expressed. “It is a new central meeting place, it is a place for residents and day workers to be able to mix and mingle, socialize, have a quiet moment, have a quiet lunch, and also join together, hopefully, at special events that will become traditions in the future for everyone.”

The park’s grand opening will be on May 2, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

GUGGENHEIM TERRACE GRAND OPENING!

Thursday, May 2, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Join your friends and neighbors to celebrate Daniel Island’s newest gathering place.

~Beer and wine from BIN 526

~Food from Daniel Island Dinners and Dashi

~Afternoon farmers market

~Art on the Terrace with the Art Guild of Daniel Island

~Family activities from Southern Premier Events

~Live music provided by The Lowhills

For complete event information, visit www.dicommunity.org.

Daniel Island Publishing

225 Seven Farms Drive
Unit 108
Daniel Island, SC 29492 

Office Number: 843-856-1999
Fax Number: 843-856-8555

 

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