Bennett Hotel at Marion Square

Bennett Hotel, Marion Square, Charleston, SC  

Once and awhile when I am marching down King St. I climb the steps to the Francis Marion parking garage and look down to see the progress of the hotel being built in the spot of our old library. After a long period where it didn't seem like much was happening it certainly is now. The hotel is to be nine stories high with a planned opening date of fall 2017.

The article in the Post & Courier does answer one question for me. The old library was built of pink marble and I had wondered where that might show up. It turns out they plan to built the hotel bar out of it.

Post & Courier: “There have been a few delays, so it might be a little bit behind schedule,” he said Thursday. “But when you’re taking a 100-year view, what’s a few months’ difference?”
At the groundbreaking about 18 months ago, he said he was building a structure that would be memorable a century later. The materials include limestone, copper and cypress. The bar being built off the lobby incorporates pink marble that was in the old library.
“This will be the five-star luxury hotel in downtown Charleston,” Bennett said Thursday. “I believe it will be finest hotel ever built in our city, certainly ever built in my lifetime.”

Before view of former library at Marion Square, Charleston, SC