Bricks & Brushes Tours- Charleston SC

10/29/2024

The Palmer House is featured on our BRICKS::ARCHITECTURAL tour. Oh, the stories we can tell…
…and it can be yours!!!

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09/06/2024

Lemme tell ya, whether you’ve got a kid that loves dump trucks & tractors or trees & water… White Point Gardens, Charleston, SC has it all.
(AND that’s where Bricks & Brushes Tours- Charleston SC meets for our Architectural stroll)
*The construction around the tip of the peninsula is due to a project to raise our sea wall, enlarge tidal gates, etc. Due to global warming causing sea rise and over-development & infrastructure breakdown, Charleston is attempting to find a balance of preserving its history and working with nature.
Carri Schwab 50 South Battery

08/31/2024

TODAY in 1886 Charleston... EARTHQUAKE!!! The most devastating earthquake in the history of the East Coast originated on Charleston's internal fault line. For context, The San Francisco Earthquake was approximately 7.7-8.3 Richter for 45-60 seconds, Charleston's was 7.7-8.5 Richter for 8 minutes. The bell's of St. Michaels began tolling at 9:45pm, shock waves 10 feet high rolled down the streets and fatalities began when the pajama-clad public ran outside only to be crushed by their own houses, open earth or spontaneous gas fires. Aftershocks were felt in the Bahamas & it was reported that a Boston cathedral cracked. Residents rallied to create makeshift living quarters in public parks while the city debated on the next course of action. Should they complete the work Nature began & tear it down or rebuild? There was a problem with the latter: Zero. Money. Not only was the earthquake catastrophic, but Charleston had weathered two major hurricanes the year prior, they were trying to recover from 4 years of daily bombardment from the Civil War and there was an agricultural drought that created a depression.
WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH THE ARCHITECTURE? Well, simply put, the homes were cobbled together. They used what they had to rebuild with ingenuity and a very Charlestonian bent toward proud craftsmanship. A house razed in the quake might only have the foundation remaining, but the owners would utilize the existing footprint, then forage for bricks, siding, and stone detailing. For example, you might see a traditional Charleston single floorplan with Victorian gingerbread or Italianate window casings. And that, dear friends, is the kind of history we talk about on a Bricks & Brushes Tour. Wan to know what an 'earthquake bolt' is? Hmmm... you might need to walk with me...

08/17/2024

BACK TO SCHOOL! Talking, teaching & learning from young people inspires us to see and interact with the world with fresh perspective. Just like Art. The Art class at the Charleston Charter School for Math & Science recently explored the galleries with us, and what they noticed & later put into practice reminded us of why we love to share Charleston’s art with you!

08/07/2024

OLD WATER REMEMBERS. Map: Blue=Water Grey=Infill White= The only land above sea level. Most of peninsular Charleston is infill from the 1700s on. The original waterways emerge during rising tides and more frequent storms. Residents complain about curfew & curbside pickup... We must strive to be more resilient & prescient in our interactions with water; kinder & humbler to the ways of nature that was here long before. Water always wins.

08/02/2024

Hey, Notre Dame School of Architecture! Loved talking about the history, influence and artistic & cultural ideals of Classicism in the architecture of Charleston with you.
We always have the greatest guests w plenty of conversation & curiosity!

05/28/2024

We’re so excited to be walking with the senior Architecture & Art class of Charleston Charter School for Math and Science!

05/24/2024

‘Tis the season for Spoleto weather…

Spoleto Festival USA Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Exhibition

05/03/2024

JUST. WOW. The symphony isn’t all blue hairs.
BLACKSTAR Symphony: The Music of David Bowie featuring legendary John Cameron Mitchell, Gail Ann Dorsey & the Grammy-nominated Charleston Symphony Orchestra.
Pics courtesy of Gaillard Center, Charleston

05/03/2024

The Story of American Preservation. It all started here!
Our BRICKS:: ARCHITECTURAL Tour gives you the skinny. Join us, won’t you?

05/03/2024

Beautiful day on The Battery, Charleston, SC w some University of Tennessee, Knoxville Vols! Firsthand fun with Architecture, Historic Preservation and the History & Stories of our Holy City.
The Battery Carriage Inn is the site of the first Preservation Society of Charleston in America!

04/19/2024

VISIT OUR ARTISTS! They’re excited to talk with you! The Gibbes Museum & Studios is open every day til 5 and 8 on Wednesday.

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01/13/2024

Before giving my Architectural Tour (BricksAndBrushesTours.com), I was in wiener heaven…
In Charleston SC

10/17/2023

ArtLover Alert 🚨 the Gibbes museum is open for FREE on WEDNESDAYS 5-8!!!!!

Light the lights 💡💡💡! We’re excited to be a museum partner of the Art Bridges Access for All pilot program ! One of only 64 museums across the country to receive the award for this 3-year program, these funds will allow us to open our doors to more people across the Lowcounty. Starting in January, 2024 we will be bringing back our Wednesday evening hours.

What’s more, admission from 5-8pm on Wednesdays will be free for everyone and we will be offering more free programs! Stay tuned for more information.

10/03/2023

We love hearing from our great guests. What a joy!

09/20/2023

One of the wee 15,000 sqft cottages we discuss on a Bricks & Brushes Tours- Charleston SC walk. Guests always ask about the cost of real estate. Here you go.
- with Carri Schwab & Buff Schwab

This 14726 square feet Single Family home has 15 bedrooms and 13 bathrooms. It is located at 13 & 15 E Battery St, Charleston, SC.

08/29/2023

Aaaahhh. Hurricane season in Charleston.
Everyone be safe. Bring any outside animals in, clear drains & ditches, and get a bottle of wine.
* Video from the porch of 50 South Battery a few years ago. The water was about 2 ft. Not bad yet.
Carri Schwab

11/18/2022

What a great night at the Riviera Theater with The Preservation Society of Charleston! The murals are pure Art Deco, hand painted & very recently restored from all the cigarette, candle & fire damage they’ve lived thru. Fun fact: it was a working movie theatre up until the 80’s!