Frequently Asked Questions
This project has raised many important questions. The responses below reflect what is currently known, as well as areas where decisions are still being made. Some answers may change as more information becomes available.
General
In 2014, the YWCA sold this site to a private housing developer. In 2023, the Charleston City Council zoned the property for high-density housing. In 2025, the College purchased the land from the private developer in order to develop comparatively lower-cost on-campus student housing.
The College of Charleston has identified a need for additional student housing. Reports related to student food and housing insecurity have underscored the challenges many students face in securing stable and affordable housing in Charleston’s private rental market. The Basic Needs program, temporary housing assistance, emergency funding, and food assistance for students experiencing housing or financial instability, is not enough to address the housing deficit.
One of the stated institutional goals of increasing on-campus housing capacity is to reduce reliance on increasingly expensive off-campus housing options. Research shows that students who live on campus often experience stronger academic outcomes and retention.
An extensive, ten-year review and study of potential alternative locations for the needed residence hall was explored. This review determined that, given Charleston’s constrained peninsula geography and current market conditions, only one other undeveloped parcel of comparable size (~2 acres) exists; this parcel is now under private development, leaving no feasible alternative within proximity of the College’s main campus.
Charleston’s historic building stock, zoning restrictions, and building-code limitations for new collegiate residential facilities make adaptive reuse or infill alternatives impracticable and the required density needed for a viable project.
Even now, portions of the incoming student population are being temporarily housed off-campus, including in hotel accommodations, due to limited residential capacity. Additionally, ongoing renovation needs within existing residence halls periodically remove rooms from service for extended periods of time.
The current process is focused on understanding how these priorities can be addressed responsibly.
The College’s Board of Trustees and administration have directed the institution to continue planning for student housing while simultaneously engaging the community, planning the archaeological investigation, and completing the regulatory review.
The College recognizes that some community members believe planning and engagement should occur before project advancement, while others believe these processes can occur simultaneously.
The project is structured in phases specifically so that historical research, permitting review, and community engagement can inform subsequent decisions before ground disturbance occurs.
When archaeological work begins updates to the work plans will be added as amendments. This approach allows the College to continue evaluating findings and recommendations as more information becomes available.
The College has developed Archaeology and Cemetery and Commemoration Work Plans in consultation with Terracon (Cultural Resource Management), the State Historic Preservation Office, the Department of Environmental Services, the City of Charleston, and the Community Engagement Council.
These plans outline how different burial scenarios (including individual, juvenile, commingled, or stacked burials) will be carefully documented according to professional and ethical standards.
The College continues to seek guidance from the Community Engagement Council and broader community to ensure respectful treatment. If approved by the City of Charleston, individuals may be disinterred and reinterred in a location determined through this process. Funeral home caretakers will be identified in consultation with the CEC and community.
Final decisions are made by the College of Charleston Board of Trustees and administration, within applicable legal frameworks. These decisions are informed by input from the Community Engagement Council, technical experts, regulatory agencies, and the broader public.
Yes. Because this burial ground is municipal and dates to a period where records are incomplete or absent, it is not possible to identify individual lineal descendants. For that reason, the College is engaging with collective descendant communities, along with communities of origin and communities of care.
Consultation is taking place through several overlapping processes:
- The Community Engagement Council (CEC), which includes members with connections to historically affected communities and provides ongoing recommendations on stewardship, reinterment, and memorialization
- Collective descendant community outreach forums, which create space for broader input and discussion
- Focused listening sessions with specific groups, including local community organizations, faith leaders, and neighborhood stakeholders
In addition, the College has conducted outreach to Tribal Nations with historical connections to the region, inviting input on appropriate protocols should Native American remains be identified.
This approach reflects a commitment to ongoing, inclusive consultation. While no single group can represent all those connected to the site, these processes are intended to ensure that a range of descendant and community perspectives help inform how the site is treated.
FAQs as of Sept. 5. 2025. As the project evolves, details can and will likely change based on a number of factors, some of which are yet unknown. Questions transcribed by The Asiko Group.
Archaeology
The site is within the Department of Environmental Services’ (DES) coastal zone consistency area, so the College of Charleston is required to consult with DES for any ground disturbance activities and associated archaeology that the demolition of the YWCA building might cause. Terracon submitted plans containing an archaeological monitoring plan for DES and the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) to review prior to granting the permit for ground disturbance.
Archaeological monitoring involves having a qualified archaeologist on site to monitor ongoing demolition activities when the YWCA building is removed, along with its foundation and the asphalt parking lot, to ensure that any archaeological resources underneath the building are not disturbed.
If human remains are uncovered, the College is developing Archaeology and Cemetery and Commemoration Work Plans in consultation with Terracon (Cultural Resource Management), the State Historic Preservation Office, the Department of Environmental Services, the City of Charleston, and the Community Engagement Council.
These plans outline how different burial scenarios (including individual, juvenile, commingled, or stacked burials) will be carefully documented according to professional and ethical standards.
The College is seeking guidance from the Community Engagement Council and broader community to ensure respectful treatment. If approved by the City of Charleston, individuals may be disinterred and reinterred in a location determined through this process. Funeral home caretakers will be identified in consultation with the CEC and community.
After demolition of the building and parking lot, ground–penetrating radar is used to identify historic architectural remains, such as foundations, roadways, utilities, and other structures that are near the surface. If conditions are good, the survey will also help to identify any individual burials that are still intact on the site.
The archaeologists working on the project will be employees of Terracon. Both bio–archaeologists and osteo–archaeologists will be handling any human remains that are encountered, including documentation and analysis of the individuals. The Terracon team specializes in the documentation and recovery of African American cemeteries.
Upon identifying a grave site, an osteoarcheologist and a professional archaeologist will work on one individual at a time, documenting the individual in their resting place including any materials, artifacts, or burial goods that were buried with them. The archaeologists will carefully remove parts of the coffin hardware (if it exists), soils, or any shroud material around an individual to recover their remains. Each individual’s remains and the associated materials will be stored in their own container, as determined by the State Historic Preservation Office. Terracon is committed to completing this work to the highest level of professional standards, with the highest level of respect for the individuals buried in the cemetery.
This timeline is based on a standard archaeological survey of a site of this size. It may fluctuate depending on how many individuals are resting in that portion of the cemetery or what materials the State Historic Preservation Office requires the archaeological team to document throughout the archaeological survey. If the timeline is not adequate, then it will be adjusted.
As a state agency, the College of Charleston is required to follow state procurement rules, and Terracon was selected through a Request for Proposal (RFP) process.
Yes, this is allowed through compliance with State Procurement law.
Community Engagement
The College established a Community Engagement Council that consists of various stakeholders, including Lowcountry residents, campus representatives and others. The community engagement process is paramount to inform plans to commemorate the important historical significance of both the site and potter’s field and the history of the YWCA.
While the College of Charleston does receive federal funding, this specific project is not receiving any federal dollars and does not require Section 106 Review. This project will adhere to all State requirements in conjunction with review and compliance of the South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office.
Construction
It’s important to remain flexible. The College is evaluating the proposed timeline, which is subject to change based on a number of factors, some of which are yet unknown.
Construction financing is being evaluated at this time. The development of the new residence hall complex will add significantly to the College’s inventory of beds for students. With this additional housing capacity on campus, the College will be able to systematically take older residence halls offline for deferred maintenance and major renovations.
No, construction will not be paid for with federal funds. The College does receive state and federal funds for other purposes.
Phase I – Former YWCA Building
The YWCA sold the parcel to McAlister Development Group in 2014.
The YWCA established and maintained its headquarters at 106 Coming Street between 1911 and 1963, initially operating out of a 19th–century single house, which was demolished in 1963–1964. The YWCA constructed a new one-story facility on the site in 1965, set back from the street to accommodate a large recreational yard. That building was approved for demolition by the Charleston Board of Architectural Review and demolished in summer 2026.
The architectural survey of the former YWCA building that was sold in 2014 was conducted according to the Historic American Building Survey and involved an in-depth photographic analysis, documenting the site’s history, its current context in the surrounding neighborhood, and the YWCA building’s conditions. The research was compiled into an architectural evaluation report that was submitted to the South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office in July 2025.
Based on the professional research conducted by project partners Terracon and BVL Historic Preservation Research, there is no indication that the previous builders on the potter’s field site (YWCA, AT&T, and a former gas station) were aware of the existence of the public cemetery. The research included oral interviews and a review of news articles from the time periods these buildings were constructed, among other research methods.
Phase II – Former Municipal Cemetery
The City acquired the property for use as a municipal cemetery by 1794 and continued to operate it as such until it reached capacity in 1807. This abandoned cemetery encompassed the western half of the block, which includes what is now 106 Coming Street, 180 Calhoun Street (and parking lot), the 8 single-family houses extending in either direction from the corner of Coming and Vanderhorst streets, and a portion of 99 St. Philip Street.
As depicted on slide 9 of the PowerPoint presentation from the August 4th public meeting, the boundaries of the potter’s field are outlined in yellow on the February 1799 McCrady Plat map on the left. On the right, the project area outlined in red on the “CofC Housing Site” aerial view photograph is what Terracon will be focusing on for the archaeological excavation. This area amounts to 51,000 square feet, or one–third of the overall 156,000 square feet of the original potter’s field. A portion of the northeast corner of the project area, abutting Vanderhorst Street, is outside of the boundaries of the cemetery.
By 1817, the City of Charleston had subdivided the property into 11 lots, which were leased to individuals for the construction of dwellings. The lots were formally sold in the 1840s.
Since that time, the site has experienced varied development, with the most significant concentrations along the Coming, Calhoun and Vanderhorst street frontages. In 2023, before the College of Charleston’s purchase, Charleston City Council approved a Planned Unit Development (PUD) submitted by the previous developer for high-density student housing.
At this time, we don’t have an accurate number of how many individuals were buried on the site, but the estimate is that it was several thousand over the entire site.
The selection of a funeral home director or directors is currently ongoing and will be subject to state procurement regulations. The selection criteria will be transparent and vetted by a community engagement group of representatives from the community, the College, the city and others, who will provide input on the project as it progresses.
Yes, the human remains will be reburied. The search for a reinternment site is currently ongoing. The College will seek guidance from the Community Engagement Council on this process.
Per state law, the College is not allowed to retain any human remains for archival purposes, research, or documentation, nor would any other institution of higher education.
This work is underway but has not yet been completed. This selection is better left until after it is determined what human remains may still exist on the site.
The decision is made by the College of Charleston in compliance with the state procurement code. The selection criteria will be vetted by the Community Engagement Council.
There are limited records available about who was buried in the municipal cemetery. Within the project scope and current timeline for archaeological excavation, Terracon would not be able to do an in-depth DNA analysis on individual remains. It should be noted that DNA testing can be destructive, and it will be important to get feedback from the Community Engagement Council of those buried in the municipal cemetery before it could be conducted. The College will share this information with leadership, including the Board of Trustees, to determine if and how this might be possible.
Property Acquisition
The property was owned by separate LLCs, but McAlister Development Group was viewed as the managing entity.
The College purchased the two–acre parcel in January 2025.
The building and parking lot are owned by AT&T. This facility was built in 1975 on top of the southern portion of what is now known to be the former municipal cemetery. The Charleston County GIS map inaccurately shows the College of Charleston as the owner. The College of Charleston has asked the County to update its records. AT&T was formerly named Southern Bell. The company began building its facility at the corner of Calhoun and Coming streets in May 1975.
This building has divided ownership. The first floor is owned and occupied by AT&T, and the College owns floors two through five.
Yes. The College was also aware of the site’s history when it purchased the properties at 106 Coming Street and 99 St. Philip Street in January 2025. It is not unusual for development in Charleston to occur atop former burial sites, provided that all local, state, and federal laws are followed. The former YWCA building on the site is one example of a building that was constructed atop the burial site.
No. However, the College had always planned on and is currently engaging with the community regarding the future of the site following the purchase of the property. There are no known records of the individual identities of the persons buried there, and it is unlikely that direct descendants can be identified.
The College of Charleston considered several alternatives locations, including sites at 369-393 King Street, the parking garage on Wentworth Street, the surface lot behind 92-97 Wentworth Street, the surface lot between George and Society Streets and a site behind the Lightsey Center on Calhoun Street. The selected site is the only viable option that has the density and scale to build a residence hall of this size. Additionally, Charleston City Council had already approved the site for high-density student housing in 2023, before it was purchased by the College.
State law does not allow a state agency to pay above fair market value to acquire property, and the College of Charleston paid slightly less than the appraised value of $75.8 million for the two parcels comprising the site (which includes the housing complex at 99 St. Philip St.). The entitlements for high-density student housing secured by the previous owners through the PUD significantly increased the property’s value as borne out by the appraisals from a highly regarded, licensed appraiser.
Schematic Design
Current draft plans show the site having a pedestrian thoroughfare from Coming Street to St. Philip Street for students and the community, commemoration spaces, and a piazza serving as an entry to the commemoration spaces. Within this publicly accessible space, the following ideas are in their early stages and pending feedback from, the College, the YWCA Board and community members:
- A touchscreen with stories, oral histories, maps, and architectural documentation of the original building, informed by the historic reports.
- Pictures of historical figures associated with the YWCA, such as Christine Jackson, Coretta Scott King, Septima Clark, and others. These pictures would be printed on glass and visible from the interior or exterior of the building.
- A map along the southern route through the site, abutting the AT&T building, that documents significant findings, remains, and artifacts found in the archaeological excavation of the potter’s field, with interpretive history about the site. The wall could be created from perforated metal with lighting so that it glows at night.
- Markers in the ground where key elements were found in the potter’s field.
The College has charged the design team with incorporating a meaningful, highly visible and publicly accessible commemoration of the potter’s field history into the site plan, along with the YWCA history. This commemoration will be informed by the historical reports, archaeological reports and ongoing community engagement and feedback throughout the design process.
Liollio will include the chronology of the entire site in the commemorative efforts. What this commemoration says or looks like is still under development. Community input will help to inform this process.
BVL Historic Preservation Research has completed in-depth historic research reports on the YWCA, as well as the municipal cemetery. View the BVL Report.
Student Involvement
Student groups were previously engaged in spring 2025 to understand the types of suite styles the residence hall could have. College of Charleston will work with its Division of Student Affairs to determine additional ways to engage the Student Government Association and other student groups.