Contact:
Elizabeth O’Brien
Public Relations & Marketing Manager
Phone: (843) 525-8521
elizabeth@beaufortsc.org
Beaufort Regional Chamber
of Commerce and Visitor & Convention Bureau Moving Visitor
Center and Offices to Historic Arsenal Building in Downtown
Beaufort, SC
(Beaufort, SC) – The Beaufort Regional
Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitor Bureau is pleased to
announce that it will be moving its Visitor Center and staff
offices to the historic Arsenal Building located at 713 Craven
Street in the National Register Historic District of Downtown
Beaufort, SC.
In addition to serving as the official Visitor Center for
the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce and office space for
staff, plans include using the building as a meeting and event
venue and exhibit space. The objective of using this building
is to fulfill the demand for a downtown visitor center, increase
traffic not only downtown but throughout the region with
expectations of increased visitation numbers at the Arsenal and to
preserve the Arsenal building for public use.
The Chamber is tentatively scheduled to move into the
Arsenal in the spring of 2010.
The Chamber Board of Directors as well as the Visitor and
Convention Bureau Board of Directors voted unanimously to approve
entering into a lease with the City of Beaufort. “We are
thrilled that the City of Beaufort has offered us the opportunity
to make use of this historic space to greet the many visitors to
our area each year and take advantage of the vitality and
redevelopment in downtown Beaufort to help increase business for
all of our members” said Robert Halfacre, Chair of the Chamber
Board of Directors.
“The historic significance and visual appeal of the
Arsenal has an immediate and direct connection to our core
target-audience of cultural and heritage travelers and we see the
Arsenal as the launching point for tourism development in Northern
Beaufort County,” added Randall Burch, Chairman of the Visitor and
Convention Bureau Board of Directors. “This is a turning point
for our organization, the local tourism industry and the community
as a whole and we thank the City of Beaufort for their commitment
and support.”
Negotiating team member Council Member Donnie Beer stated,
“Since 1991 when I was first elected to City Council, I have worked
on preserve the Arsenal and its service to the people of
Beaufort. Leasing the Arsenal building to the Chamber is a
major step toward ensuring that the building will be maintained and
preserved. It also underscores the City’s commitment to
re-investing in our tourism industry, one of the few ways that the
City can grow its tax base and revenue streams without increasing
the tax burden on residents and local businesses.”
Brief history of the Arsenal Building
The Beaufort Arsenal has an extensive history which
includes housing soldiers, artillery and museums. It was
constructed of tabby in 1798 by Thomas Talbird and for generations
served as the home of the Beaufort Volunteer Artillery. The
building had deteriorated substantially by 1852, when it was
rebuilt out of brick in the Gothic Revival style with funding from
the town. In addition to serving as the home of the B.V.A.,
the building has also served as a venue for parties, plays,
political events, fundraisers, lectures and dances. In 1939,
the Beaufort Museum was chartered and housed in a first-floor wing
constructed during a 1930s expansion funded through the
W.P.A. In 1966, the National Guard (successor to the B.V.A.)
moved out of the building, and the museum relocated into the second
story following a renovation. For many years the building
housed government offices as well as the family court and
museum. In 2001, the City leased the building to Historic
Beaufort Foundation. During its tenure, HBF renovated the
interior of the building with the use of its Revolving Fund, and in
2008-9 the exterior was restored with a Save America’s Treasures
grant that it secured from the National Park
Service. Additional funding support came from the City of
Beaufort and Beaufort County. The Foundation turned the keys
and the museum artifacts back to the City of Beaufort this year,
after which the City of Beaufort requested proposals from
interested parties as to the future of its building.
The Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit
membership-based organization working to build a healthy economy
and improve the area’s quality of life. The Chamber assists in
developing and supporting an economic, political and social climate
favorable to businesses throughout the Beaufort Region.
The Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce Visitor and
Convention Bureau is the Designated Marketing Organization (DMO)
for the city of Beaufort, the town of Port Royal and the
unincorporated and Sea Island regions of northern Beaufort
County. The VCB partners with a wide variety of non-profit
organizations, businesses and government to market the lodging and
hospitality industries to visitors.
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