The historic district of Charleston was anything but historic before the 1980s, and King Street was a real estate of empty storefronts. Something needed to happen to rekindle the historical flame that once burned in this cosmopolitan coastal port city. Joe Riley began the construction of Charleston Place and set in motion the beginning of the city’s revival. Charleston was back on the map as a travel destination.
The Cooper complex is slated as “the first extraordinary step in the reimagining of Charleston’s storied waterfront.” Its diverse amenity offerings are world class, and like Charleston Place, will be open to residents, visitors, and world travelers wanting to experience the charm and hospitality of Charleston’s commercially and recreationally welcoming spirit.
The Cooper’s amenities will include a ground-floor retail space with boutique shops, a 12,000 square-foot full-service spa and fitness center, and a nearly 20,000 square-foot event space. Its four restaurants will consist of a waterfront diner, coffee shop, seafood restaurant, and a rooftop lounge with a dedicated public elevator with entrance from the park. The rooftop bar will be enclosed in floor-to-ceiling glass doors and overlook both the Arthur Ravenel bridge to the left and the waterfront park’s pineapple fountain to the right.
The hotel will have a compliment of 191 accommodations with options to choose sun-bathed guest rooms and suites with waterfront views of the harbor. Room-paying guests will be able to lounge around or swim in the hotel’s jaw dropping outdoor infinity-edge pool, also overlooking the waterfront. It is proclaimed as one the best pool experiences in the Southeast, possibly rivaling anything on the East Coast. The pool will have its own bar.
The Cooper’s green space along the waterfront will be integrated with the Joe Riley Waterfront Park, extending the park’s pathway beginning at the north entrance on Concord Street over 400 feet to the Fleet Landing Restaurant and Bar at Cumberland Street. As part of the extension, there will be a new dock and marina facility, which will allow for boat dockage.
The Cooper Hotel will have three different boats available for its hotel guests including a yacht for dinners and events, as well as a water taxi service to Daniel Island. Guests in BHC-affiliated locations, like the Charleston Place, will also have access to the boats.
Uneventful and seldom traveled Concord Street between Cumberland and Vendue Range will soon be transformed into a mecca of five-star accommodations and world-class amenities with the opening of the Cooper Hotel complex in late 2025. It will exponentially change the French Quarter waterfront in an excellent way. I, for one, look forward to soaking in the waterfront views through the rooftop bar’s floor-to-ceiling glass doors sipping on one of its signature cocktails. Who knows, I just might book a room just to take a swim in its jaw dropping outdoor infinity-edge pool.
