That enormous clock you see there That’s a piece of Charles Towne Square’s history. Charles Towne Square wasn’t just any mall. It was a bustling hub in North Charleston South Carolina a place where history and commerce intertwined. Opened in 1976 it celebrated Charleston’s bicentennial. Ed McMahon himself a television icon led the grand opening festivities. Imagine Revolutionary War costumes and a parade. World War II hero Mark Clark football star Rosey Grier and actor Claude Akins were also there. It was quite the event.
The mall boasted a town square style clock a children’s train ride and about 75 stores. Montgomery Ward JCPenney and Edward’s a local department store were the original anchor tenants. Later Edward’s became Big K-Edwards then Wilson’s Catalog Showrooms and finally Service Merchandise. A General Cinemas added to the entertainment options.
But Charles Towne Square’s story isn’t just about its opening. It’s also about its decline. The closure of the nearby Charleston Naval Base hurt the local economy. JCPenney and Service Merchandise left. The mall struggled. Most specialty stores closed. In 1997 plans were made to demolish the mall. Only Montgomery Ward remained. The planned redevelopment with big box stores never happened. Montgomery Ward’s bankruptcy in 2000 sealed the mall’s fate.
The mall was demolished. A Regal Cinemas and a Courtyard by Marriott hotel were built. The former Montgomery Ward building became a Verizon Wireless call center. Piccadilly Cafeterias the mall’s longest-standing tenant finally closed in 2012. The former mall site is now an office complex. It even houses North Charleston’s City Hall.
Charles Towne Square’s clock that iconic town square clock survived. It was donated to the city and now sits in the food court of a nearby outlet mall. A reminder of a place that once was a place that is now part of the city’s history a place where memories live on in that clock. It’s a symbol of a time gone by a time we can remember today.