Apple’s architects will blend glass and stainless steel into the existing wood and brick storefronts of King Street for a retail store in Charleston (SC), according to renderings that have surfaced in city records. The owner of 301 King Street has told Charleston.com that Apple hasn’t signed a lease on the 48-foot wide space, and yet the company has already submitted storefront designs to the city’s Board of Architectural Review for approval. They show red brick bordering a neutral-colored stone, surrounding casement windows on the second level, and decorative indents on the third level. The ground floor is all-glass, allowing a view to the interior: standard wood tables, stone flooring and stainless steel walls. As has now become standard, a white Apple logo is suspended above the door on the inside of the store.
Download (pdf) Apple’s photos and renderings as submitted to the city.
The space was formerly occupied by Cumberlands nightclub. The ground floor is essentially a glass display window, while the upper floors are covered with gray masonry.
In Apple’s proposal to the Charleston Board of Architectural Review, the ground floor remains all-glass, but is more open and refined. The masonry is removed from the upper floors and replaced with casement style windows, surrounded by a neutral-colored masonry. The design attempts to strike a balance between Apple’s usual store design and the city requirement to blend in with the city’s historic district.
