History of the Newly Renovated Alhambra Hall: A Generational Gem

Imagine Mount Pleasant before there was a bridge spanning the waters to downtown Charleston. It was a time of ferries plying across the harbor, bringing visitors to Mount Pleasant, where they could then take a trolley to Sullivan’s Island or beyond to the Isle of Palms.

It was during this era, circa 1847, that the owners of Mount Pleasant Ferry Company purchased a grove of oaks in Hort’s Grove to develop a picnic ground. Articles paint a picture of a calm, shady retreat dotted with swings and note that a traveling carousel would occasionally visit. The owners ran a ferry from Charleston to the foot of Ferry Street to encourage visitors to enjoy the octagonal dancing pavilion, picnic grounds and small bowling alley.

In 1929, the panoramic view from the picnic grounds forever changed when the Grace Memorial Bridge was built. The iconic bridge decimated the ferry industry, rendering many of the wharves and ferry buildings obsolete.

An event hall was built in 1937 using timber from the abandoned Hog Island Ferry building and wharf. The historic charm of its gabled roof, wraparound porches, double staircase, vaulted ceiling and exposed rafters has remained largely unchanged, though renovations and improvements have been made over the years.

Today, the building and surrounding grounds and park known as Alhambra Hall are owned and managed by the Town of Mount Pleasant as a recreational facility. It serves as a backdrop for weddings, corporate and community meetings and more, averaging more than 160 events annually.

On Aug. 27, the town reopened Alhambra Hall after a $4.8 million renovation that included a new roof and siding, energy-efficient windows, updated interiors and the addition of a large outdoor patio to support both indoor and outdoor gatherings. Major site improvements included new sidewalks, updated landscaping with a wetland buffer to protect the harbor and a new irrigation system across the Grand Lawn.

Alhambra Hall is a special place to generations of residents, and its history also lives in the stories and memories of all who have enjoyed its amenities. If these walls, these lawns, these amazing sunsets could talk, they’d tell enough tales to fill a book.

Mary Alice “June” Boensch taught children’s dance classes at Alhambra Hall, and her students, now in their 70s, remember her fondly. “Yes, she would hold recitals for the kids to be in, they’d be on a stage in the main room,” recalled her daughter-in-law, Sarah Boensch.

Now 93, Sarah grew up next door to Alhambra Hall. She warmly recollected climbing the oak trees in the park and sewing dolls with her friends in the branches. They would wait for the tide to come in and then go swimming along the shoreline of Alhambra’s lawn.

She loved watching the Moultrie High School basketball team practice and play games there. “They had basketball games inside of Alhambra Hall and practiced there after school because they didn’t have a gym. My friends and I would go over there and watch them, and sometimes they’d let us get on the court and pitch the balls. Sometimes the balls would hit the ceiling and get stuck in the rafters and they’d have to call time out,” she laughed.

Sarah married her Moultrie High School sweetheart Dr. Frank Boensch, Mary Alice’s son, who grew up just down Pitt Street.

Tales of first dates, first kisses and proms there date back at least to the 1940s, and surely for decades prior, with stories being lost to time and memory. It has become a coveted location for weddings, and even into the early 2000s, brides-to-be would camp out in line for a night or more for a chance to reserve their wedding date at Alhambra Hall. Some brides recall the town delivering pizzas to keep up the spirits of those waiting in line.

The Teen Club met on Friday nights, and its live music and social scene made it the place to be for Mount Pleasant teens in the 1960s.

Longtime residents have cherished memories of Little League Baseball on the baseball field that was located where the Grand Lawn is now between the building and the marsh. It was common for the balls to land in the pluff mud, and many a foot was cut on an oyster while attempting to retrieve them. Robert Hopkins recounted of his time on the field, “When my coach put me in the outfield, I had a great view of the shrimp boats coming and going.”

Alhambra Hall has hosted Blessings of the Fleet, Children’s Day Festivals and other community events. Gymnastics and cotillion classes were held upstairs. “I remember taking dance classes there as a little kid and feeling like a ballerina on the hardwood floors,” recalled Kindal Boyle. Generations of birthday parties were held on the big concrete tables and countless childhood memories were made playing under the shady branches of the park’s live oaks.

Alhambra Hall’s hallowed grounds have been entertaining and enchanting our community for nearly 180 years. Likewise its sweeping views and simple Lowcountry ambiance create special memories for generations past, present and future.

By Anne Toole