Mount Pleasant Town Hall Magazine

49 www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.ILoveMountPleasant.com | www.MPTownHall.com MOUNT PLEASANT Town Hall T he town of Mount Pleasant officially opened its highly anticipated new Town Hall in the summer of 2017, moving 250 employees into the 92,000-square-foot building during the searing heat of a Lowcountry summer. For the first time ever, most of the people who serve the citizens of Mount Pleasant were under one roof, in an innovative, energy-efficient building that, for the next 75 years or so, will serve as a testament to the town’s past, a sense of pride in its present and a shining example of its community involvement, growth and development for generations to come. It wasn’t always so. Mount Pleasant’s first Town Hall was no more than a jail cell in a small, white building that also served as the town’s prison and Fire Department. For a small town of around 1,000 people, it served its purpose and actually contributed to the quaint, Mayberry-like feel of early Mount Pleasant. But as the town grew, so did its need for a building large enough to serve its burgeoning population. The small building that doubled as the Fire Department would no longer suffice. Plans were discussed, drawn and executed and Mount Pleasant’s first official free- standing Town Hall was born. The Darby Building, located on Pitt Street in the Old Village, had served as a Lutheran seminary and as a Baptist Church. When the town moved into its new Town Hall in 2017, the Darby Building was being used by the town’s Recreation Department. The center of Mount Pleasant’s governmental universe moved again in the early 1990s, but only because a local private school was unable to keep its doors open. Originally the home of the popular and at one time prosperous East Cooper School, the buildings were donated to the town after the school’s untimely demise. Established in the 1960s as an elementary school, ECS developed a well-deserved reputation for excellence and academic rigor. Building on its initial success, the administration took the somewhat risky step of adding a middle school and a high school. Although this seemed to be a smart and responsible move, the school’s numbers and funding quickly dwindled. As enrollment drastically decreased and financial issues increased, school officials decided it was time to close the doors. The bad news was that Mount Pleasant was losing a reputable place for its youngsters to excel both academically and athletically. The good news was that the grounds and facilities were donated to the town of Mount Pleasant. Before long, the buildings were renovated to serve as Mount Pleasant’s Town Hall. They were razed to make way for the new Town Hall, parking, a park and a new gymnasium in 2017. Over the years, as Mount Pleasant has grown, several different buildings have served as Mount Pleasant’s Town Hall. But until 2017, none combined the historical and cultural aspects that are unique to Mount Pleasant with the eco-friendliness, the energy-efficiency, the ease of use and, yes, the beauty, of Mount Pleasant’s new Town Hall. TH Under One Roof A First for Mount Pleasant Town Halls By Emily Paschal The Darby Building has been a Lutheran seminary, a Baptist Church, Mount Pleasant’s Town Hall and a Recreation Department facility. When East Cooper School closed its doors, the grounds and facilities were donated to the town of Mount Pleasant. The school building was part of the Town Hall campus until 2017. Photos courtesy of Sparky Witte. Photo by Brian Sherman.