Privacy, stunning scenery
highlight Renaissance
A private, upscale condominium complex on the banks of the Cooper River
with a swimming pool, ballroom, sweeping views and other perks is striking
enough. But then tack on average values that some expect to rise 54 percent in
three years, and you've got a solid investment, too.
Those are the advantages of the Renaissance on Charleston Harbor, the easily
visible twin high-rises on the Patriot's Point access road east of the Cooper.
The towers, which opened 18 months ago, are almost identical, with 50 units
apiece. What few differences there are include palmetto frescoes on the north
building's facade and crescents on the south building, and a gold paint scheme
versus taupe paint on the interior walls.
It's almost too late to buy an original condo. As of this month, only two of
the units have yet to sell.
But resales are already commonplace in a complex where the average price rose
from $650,000 to $775,000 and is expected to hit $1 million in 2004, said Joseph
Walker, project manager with developer Estates Inc. in Columbia.
"We do this premium product; the Charleston market basically sold
itself," Walker said. In other words, if you build it, they will come. The
list of occupants includes Estates Inc.'s owner, who combined two penthouse
condos into a plush 4,400-square-foot home complete with a pool table, wet bar,
home theater and three balconies.
The construction team included Estates Inc., a developer of trendy condos,
town homes and apartments in the Southeast; Washington, D.C.-based Lessard
Architectural Group, the international Bovis Lend Lease contractors; Mount
Pleasant-based Seamon, Whiteside & Associates landscape architects and the
Boudreaux Group interior designers.
The complex has 10 floor plans ranging from 2,044 square feet to 4,166 square
feet and priced from $500,000 to $4 million.
Developers spared no expense: Esteemed local artist John Carroll Doyle
painted two canvases with Lowcountry scenes that hang in the buildings' grand
foyers, each topped with a bronze- and alabaster-toned geometric dome and manned
24 hours a day by a concierge. Standard condo trappings include gas log
fireplaces; master baths with marble floors and jetted tubs; granite kitchen
countertops, Sub-Zero refrigerators, Bosch dishwashers and Thermador ranges.
The buildings are seven stories, or eight, depending on which side you are
facing. The high-rises have seven floors of condos on the west side facing a
River Walk promenade, terraced garden, Italian Renaissance-style swimming pool
and a "social compass" -- a raised circle on the pool deck with an
engraved map of peninsular Charleston. The bottom floor is underground,
connecting the two towers.
By contrast, the front side, which faces inland and overlooks the
above-ground parking, has eight condo floors.
The below-ground level is more than just a long hallway. There's the
1,730-square-foot Grand Renaissance Club Room, which has a series of tables,
chairs and couches; a wide-screened television, piano and kitchen. The
Cardiovascular Exercise Theater has a decorative fountain wall and a half-dozen
or more pieces of equipment. There are entrances to the parking garage, where
each owner gets two spaces as well as a cubicle in a locked storage bin.
The complex has controlled access to just about everything by way of secret
codes on keypads at doorways, elevators and when entering or exiting the
clubhouse and garage. The hallway is invisible from the outside, located under
the entrance to the swimming pool and a decorative, arched above-ground
connector.
That's not all: The buildings have a series of high-speed elevators that can
take the condo owner, in all but a few cases where exits are combined, straight
into their digs. The second floor has a library and two guest suites where
residents can reserve rooms for family or other guests.
The complex was constructed with safety in mind, from condo windows built to
withstand winds of up to 130 miles an hour and 30 sprinkler heads per unit that
would cascade down water in case of fire.
To visit the Renaissance on Charleston Harbor from downtown Charleston, take
the Cooper River bridge to U.S. Highway 17 Business (Coleman Boulevard). Turn
right at the first traffic light onto Patriots Point Boulevard. The complex is
on the right.
The Post and Courier, 11/15/03, Jim Parker
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