Cannon Park is a 2.7 acre public park located in peninsular Charleston, South Carolina. It is bound to the north by Calhoun St. and to the south by Bennett St. To the east and west are Rutledge Ave. and Ashley Ave. respectively.

History

Some of the property on which the park is located was given to the City of Charleston in the early 1800s for a public park. The land previously had been a sawmill pond. The last parcels to complete the existing space were acquired in 1893. Work on a public park began in 1894. By 1897, however, the park had fallen into disuse by residents; goats and cows were pastured on the land, and the grass was left uncut. In anticipation of a Confederate reunion, Charleston's city council decided to spend $30,000 to build a convention hall. Fifteen plans were submitted for the new facility, and those of Charlotte, North Carolina architect

Frank Pierce Milburn Frank Pierce Milburn (December 12, 1868 - September 21, 1926) was a prolific American architect of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His practice was primarily focused on public buildings, particularly courthouses and legislative buildings, ...

were selected. The hall, with seating for 7000, was completed and handed over to the City Council on April 27, 1899. After the Confederate reunion, the hall was used infrequently and never to capacity. In October 1901, the City Parks Commission leased the auditorium to William P. Dowling, Jr. for a term of three years for use as a theater. In December 1904, the city council chose to use the building as a temporary location for the city hospital. In January 1907, the city council agreed to lease the hall to the College of Charleston to house its museum, thereafter known as the Charleston Museum, for a nominal rent. In October 1981, a fire destroyed the hall about one year after the museum moved to Meeting Street, leaving only its four grand columns. In 1981, the city proposed a redevelopment of Cannon Park along the lines of the proposal drafted by Olmsted in the late 19th century. The

Olmsted Brothers The Olmsted Brothers company was a landscape architectural firm in the United States, established in 1898 by brothers John Charles Olmsted (1852–1920) and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. (1870–1957), sons of the landscape architect Frederick Law O ...

, a landscaping firm in Brookline, Massachusetts, had designed plans for a park during the 1890s, but these never were implemented before the site became Thomson Auditorium. The proposal retained the columns as a focal point and established the landscape around them using palm trees and oaks. A water basin was planned but never implemented. The park today has a playground and walking paths. While the park is unfenced, it does allow unleashed dogs.{{cite web, url=http://www.charlestonparksconservancy.org/our_parks/view_park/cannon_park/, title=Cannon Park, accessdate=November 10, 2013

Notes

Parks in Charleston, South Carolina