Mount Pleasant Magazine July/August 2017

town hall

he town of Mount Pleasant has a historical

lineage that shines brighter than the

luminescence of an oyster shell under the

midday sun. For centuries, it has served as a

place where families can grow, agriculture can thrive and

community can flourish. This plot of land overlooking the

Cooper River has withstood hurricanes, battles and floods.

It has grown in size, economy and stature. Now, the legacy

of sweetgrass baskets, indigo, cotton fields and Shem Creek

shrimp will live on in a newly developed Town Hall –

92,000 square feet of carefully crafted construction, whose

charm reflects the very essence of this coastal community

we call home.

Katherine Fishburne and Andrea Kuhfuss, the interior

design duo behind the stunning structure, found the

Lowcountry – with its marshlands and towering moss-

covered trees – to be the essential muse. They worked with

the town to deliver a one-of-a-kind structure, and the end

result was a building of beauty, character and understated

elegance.

“I love the process of seeing an idea go from initial

plans and paper to reality,” said Fishburne, who spent her

childhood weekends roaming construction sites in Hilton

Head Island with her builder dad, her curiosity sparked

with each hammer’s slam.

Starting in 2013, Fishburne and Kuhfuss lived and

breathed this massive project. Long nights spent in

the studio sketching out digital renderings, extensive

meetings with furniture distributers and numerous

construction-site strolls, tinged by airborne sawdust and

the distinct sound of saws meeting planks, dominated

their days. For these two ambitious visionaries, every

minute was fueled by unrelenting bursts of creativity

and inspiration.

“Walking into that lobby and seeing that high ceiling is

a moment I’ll never forget,” said Fishburne. “It’s satisfying

Andrea Kuhfuss and Katherine Fishburne worked with the town to

deliver a one-of-a-kind structure – Mount Pleasant’s new Town Hall.

BY KALENE MCCORT