Moultrie Playground

Description

Moultrie Playground is a public park in Charleston, South Carolina.HistoryMoultrie Playground is on a section of mud flats near the west bank of the Ashley River just north of Broad Street. The land was eyed as a possible playground as early as 1912. The success of the first playground at Mitchell Elementary School had prompted interest in a playground for the lower peninsula children. In 1922, a landfill program was begun by Mayor Thomas Stoney. The park was opened in 1930.Sgt. Jasper apartmentsThe park was originally larger than it is today. Part of the land was sold by the city and became the "Sergeant Jasper Apartments". Originally, the developer of the apartments wanted to construct them on Moultrie Playground itself, but later developed a plan to build instead on reclaimed mud flats to the side of Moultrie Playground. As part of the deal, an even larger section of the mud flats would be filled to serve as a playground. In June 1949, the backers of the apartment announced a chance to their plans which would build the apartment on the mud flats, leaving the park on its existing high grounds. The ability to sell the reclaimed marshlands was held by the Colonial Common and Ashley River Embankment Commission whose members opposed the sale of the land by 9 to 1. The South Carolina Statehouse was prepared to consider changes to the law that would place the ability with City Council instead. City Council itself, however, asked the Statehouse to simply modify the existing laws to give the power to overrule the Colonial Commons Commission by a three-quarters vote. By July 1949, the Statehouse had acted on the matter and gave City Council the ability to overturn the decision of the commissioners by a two-thirds vote. At a meeting of the Commission on July 8, 1949, the Commission voted 7-3 against selling the filled mudflat area of the park to developer J.C. Long for $5,000 for the construction of a 14-story apartment building, and the matter went to City Council. On July 18, 1949, the Ways and Means Committee of City Council voted in favor of selling 7.4 acres of mudflats to Sergeant Jasper, Inc. for the construction of a 14-story apartment. As part of the deal, the developer made other concessions concerning easements and restrictions on further sales.