Point Hope: Then and Now

Harry Frank Guggenheim reportedly had a favorite place among all the destinations he visited in his lifetime.

It wasn't New York, where his family built its fortune, or one of the many places he traveled as a businessman and aviation pioneer. 

It was Cain Hoy, his hunting and fishing retreat tucked away on the Cainhoy peninsula. 

Nearly a century after Guggenheim began acquiring the property, the land is now home to Point Hope, where the opening of new neighborhoods, schools, and businesses has changed the Clements Ferry Road corridor considerably. 

The transformation is still in the works. The property's approved master plan allows for thousands more homes, and Point Hope Partners, the company responsible for managing development activities, says development will continue over many years. 

The Guggenheim years 

Guggenheim began assembling his Cain Hoy property in the 1930s, adding it to his Lowcountry holdings that also included Daniel Island. The land served as a working cattle ranch and timber property, but it was also a place where the family gathered for holidays, hunting trips, and time on the water. 

His guests included Charles Lindbergh and Gen. James Doolittle, two aviation figures with whom Guggenheim had close personal and professional ties. 

The property has a history stretching back centuries before Guggenheim's ownership. Archaeological surveys later identified 127 historic and prehistoric sites, including Native American artifacts, brick kilns, and old roadways. Some stone tools discovered on the property were estimated to be thousands of years old. 

Guggenheim died in 1971, leaving the Cainhoy property to his younger cousin, Peter Lawson-Johnston Sr., through a trust. The Lawson-Johnston family continued managing the land for hunting, fishing, and timber production. 

During a 2018 tour of the property with The Daniel Island News, Peter Lawson-Johnston II showed the newspaper the family's lodge, which still contained furnishings from Guggenheim's time. 

"Really, we haven’t changed anything in a long, long time," Lawson-Johnston said at the time. 

The lodge, built in 1937, included a large fireplace, family mementos, guest books filled with decades of signatures, and a collection of old Charleston Harbor maps. Outside were hunting dog kennels, a quail pen, and a dock on Yellow House Creek. 

For the family, deciding to develop the land wasn't an easy choice. 

"My whole family loves it," Lawson-Johnston said during the visit. "We’ve had some unbelievable times here." 

How Point Hope began 

The opening of Interstate 526 in 1993 made the Cainhoy peninsula more accessible, and the City of Charleston annexed the property in 1995. 

The need for new schools ultimately helped move development plans forward. 

As Berkeley County's population grew, the school district began searching for land to serve families on Daniel Island and the Cainhoy peninsula. In 2009, then-Charleston Mayor Joe Riley approached the Lawson-Johnston family about providing property for new schools. 

The family agreed, and the land would eventually become home to Philip Simmons Elementary, Middle, and High schools. 

The decision prompted broader discussions about how the remaining property should be developed. In 2014, Charleston approved a Planned Unit Development for the approximately 9,076-acre tract, establishing a long-term framework for residential and commercial growth. 

Matt Sloan, then president of the DI Development Company, which was overseeing the project, explained during a 2017 DI News interview why the family chose a comprehensive development plan rather than selling the land in separate parcels. 

"We felt like it would lead to controversy, so we wrote an entirely new zoning code that is unique to this property," Sloan said. 

Julie Dombrowski, communications director for Point Hope Partners, said the property's existing landscape helped guide the master plan. 

"Planners began with the existing natural trails and logging roads on the property, around which streets, parks, neighborhoods, greenspace and commercial areas were integrated," Dombrowski said. 

Philip Simmons Elementary and Middle schools opened in 2016, followed by the high school in 2017. The first apartments and commercial developments followed, including a Publix-anchored shopping center. 

Point Hope's first single-family residents arrived in 2021. 

Point Hope today 

Five years later, approximately 330 single-family homes have been completed across Point Hope, including homes in the growing First Light and Hopewell neighborhoods south of Clements Ferry Road. David Weekley Homes, Pulte Homes, and Toll Brothers are among the community's builders. Four multifamily developments are also actively leasing. 

The Village Green and surrounding commercial district have brought a steady stream of restaurants, shops, and services to the corridor. 

For many Cainhoy residents, one of the biggest changes has been having more everyday conveniences nearby. 

“We’re pleased to already have a robust mix of over 35 businesses and services that are meeting the needs not only of Point Hope residents, but also residents along the entire Cainhoypeninsula, an area that has long been under-served,” Dombrowski said. 

Publix was the corridor's first supermarket, while Roper St. Francis and MUSC have brought additional medical services closer to residents. 

The community also has more than five miles of public trails and several parks and green spaces. Doolittle Park serves as the primary private amenity for Point Hope's single-family homeowners. 

Development has expanded to the north side of Clements Ferry Road, where approximately 70 homes are occupied at Del Webb Point Hope, and leasing is underway at Brooking Square. 

How much is left to build? 

The scale of Point Hope's master plan is considerably larger than the neighborhoods and commercial areas already completed. The original PUD allows for up to 18,000 residential units, although Point Hope Partners now expects the final number of homes and apartments to be closer to half that, or roughly 9,000. 

The developer also expects to leave most of the property undeveloped. 

"Less than half – only about 43% – of the 9,076-acre property will be developed," Dombrowski said. "The remaining acres will be permanently protected through conservation easements and restrictive covenants." 

The next several years will bring more residential construction as Point Hope expands beyond its first neighborhoods, while the larger master plan continues to guide development across the property. As Point Hope continues to grow, the focus remains on adding homes, businesses, and amenities while preserving much of the land that has been part of the property for generations.