The Star of America Motel located on Rivers Avenue in North Charleston is now included in the National Register of Historic Places as one of the country’s first “prefabricated” motels. Meaning, the building consists of factory-made materials that were transported + assembled on-site to create the finished motel.
The motor lodge was built in 1961, and manufacturers created each individual unit separately before stacking them on top of one another.
Ham Morrison of Boneworks Property Management is renovating the once dilapidated + condemned motel. Each floor of the motel consists of 22 units, a check-in foyer, restaurant cocktail lounge, an annex building that includes 10 units, and a greenery area in the place of what was once the motel’s pool.
So, what makes a place worthy to be listed as on the National Register of Historic Places? The official list includes the “nation’s historic places worthy of preservation.” These places are authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 + part of a national program to “coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.”
In order for a property to become nationally registered as historic, it must meet the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, which includes examining the property’s significance, integrity + be at least 50 years old.
More than 95,000 properties listed in the registry + almost every county in America has at least one place listed in the National Register.
Of the many registered historic places in Charleston, just this year, North Charleston’s Charleston Naval Hospital was also added to the list.
Through the National Park Service, you can learn about the process of registering a site, list a property electronically, and research the register.
Read a full article about the The Star of America Motel’s historic status + learn more about the National Register of Historic Places here. ⭐
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