RESTORATION

Restoration projects bring the past to life, reanimating history for the aesthetic, educational, and functional benefit of residents and visitors alike. The Lowcountry is dotted with beautiful structures representing our textured cultural heritage. We apply skill, care, and innovation to ensure that these testaments to our region’s rich architectural story can be told today and long into the future.

A tall red brick church with Gothic architecture, pointed arches, and stained glass windows, next to a tall palm tree under a blue sky with some clouds.
Empty outdoor skate park with concrete ramps and bowls under a blue sky with a few clouds.
Large beige house with a red-tiled roof, white columns, and multiple windows, situated on a grassy landscape with a curved paved driveway and an American flag on a flagpole.
A large, historic church with pointed arch windows and a tall steeple, surrounded by trees and cityscape under a partly cloudy sky.
An aerial view of a cityscape featuring a church steeple with a gold cross at the top, surrounded by buildings, trees, and streets under a partly cloudy sky.

The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist

The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist is the seat of the Bishop of Charleston and the mother church for Catholic parishioners in South Carolina. Construction on the striking brownstone Gothic church began in 1890 to replace an earlier structure, which was destroyed in the Great Charleston Fire of 1861. In keeping with the Gothic architectural tradition, the plans for the Cathedral called for a steeple – but the parish did not have sufficient funds to build it at the time.

Fast forward to the 21st century. The Diocese of Charleston retained Hightower Construction to conduct a major renovation of the city’s iconic cathedral. Hightower completely restored the exterior of the 27,000-square-foot building, which involved the meticulous examination of every stone, the skillful replacement of 2,500 pieces of stone, repointing 27 miles of joints, and the construction and placement of a bell tower and – after more than a century of waiting – a steeple. The Hightower team designed the steeple using an innovative combination of cold molding, epoxies, and frames, enabling the steeple to reach 85 feet – even higher than the Diocese’s expectations.

Today, the Cathedral stands tall at the corner of Broad and Legare Streets, with the structural integrity and full splendor intended by its designers more than 125 years ago.

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GOVERNMENT

Government projects are sponsored by the Department of Defense and other federal agencies, which have long played an important role in our community. Wherever they work, municipal officials, uniformed service members, and civilians in the Lowcountry serve the public – and we’re proud to serve them. Hightower is highly proficient at managing government contracts and meeting the exacting technical and administrative standards our public sector clients set.

Indoor store with shelves of skate art, hats, and accessories, near glass double doors and windows, with an elevator on the left.
An empty outdoor skatepark with concrete ramps, bowls, and rails, surrounded by grass and trees, under a clear blue sky.

Charleston County Skate Park

If you drove down Interstate-26 into Charleston a few years ago, you would have passed an abandoned industrial lot filled with debris. Today, you’ll see the city’s newest and most exciting attraction: SK8 Charleston, a state-of-the art skatepark overlooking the Ashley River marsh. Built on a 3.3-acre property under contract with the Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission, SK8 Charleston has 32,500 square feet of skateable surface area. In addition to two courses, a mini bowl, and a competition pro bowl, the park also includes a main building with offices, concessions, restrooms, and storage; a parking area; and seating for spectators.

Because of the unstable ground and industrial fill, SK8 Charleston was a technically challenging project. Working in collaboration with the global engineering firm, AECOM, and the acclaimed skatepark design firm, Team Pain, Hightower’s team of general contractors creatively and skillfully met rigorous requirements for construction, erosion control, and stormwater runoff. Being conducted under the auspices of a local government agency, the demands of cost, schedule, and performance were rigorously met throughout the project.

Today, SK8 Charleston is making a mark on the skating world – and on the community it serves.

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INDUSTRIAL

Industrial projects are the engine of our region’s economic growth. Up and down the Lowcountry, South Carolinians at energy and aerospace facilities are powering our homes and businesses and producing next-generation technologies. The sophistication and scale of these industrial facilities and public utilities requires that new construction and renovations are conducted with the utmost attention to technical details, project safety, and environmental impact.

Nighttime view of an industrial facility with numerous pipes, metal structures, and bright lights. A large crane is positioned in the foreground.
Large industrial factory building with smokestacks emitting smoke under a blue sky with clouds.

Santee Cooper

In South Carolina, Santee Cooper is a household name. The largest power supplier in the state and the second largest publicly owned electric utility of its kind, Santee Cooper provides electricity to 700,000 homes and more than two dozen large industrial clients, predominantly in the Lowcountry.

Santee Cooper has regularly turned to Hightower for its largest and most complex projects. For example: when we built the turbine and coal silo buildings at the Cross Generating Station in Berkeley County, we were responsible for the construction of the steel frame structures, ground floor and elevated slab concrete, single-ply membrane roof, metal siding, masonry, doors and frames, the lighting and electrical service, ventilation systems, HVAC systems, and floor and roof drain systems. Hightower expertly managed this highly complex, multi-faceted, multi-disciplinary project from beginning to end – all within established cost, schedule, and performance parameters. Importantly, we brought self-performers to the table, ensuring that our employees were doing the work and meeting the exceedingly high safety, ethical, and environmental standards we demand of ourselves.

Today, Santee Cooper’s Cross Generating Station can support massive, sophisticated mechanical equipment with unusually tight tolerances – thanks to the expert work of Hightower Construction

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COMMERCIAL

Commercial projects take many shapes and forms. From office buildings to condominiums, from small businesses to shopping centers, commercial construction reflects the rich texture of the Lowcountry’s ever-growing community tapestry. Every day, South Carolinians work, shop, play, and pray in the commercial buildings and spaces that Hightower construction has built.

Spacious foyer with a curved staircase, a rug, a wooden sideboard, a mirror, mounted animal skull, and a sitting area visible through glass doors
Bar area with wooden shelves stocked with liquor bottles, pendant lights, and bar stools, with a seating area that includes a dining table with glasses and napkins. Fireplace in the background.

Bulls Bay Golf Clubhouse

Bulls Bay Golf Club is situated on the picturesque Lowcountry coastline between Francis Marion National Forest and the South Carolina barrier islands. Bulls Bay is home to one of the most spectacular golf courses in the United States, featuring unobstructed vistas of the salt marshes and the ocean. Sandy terrain and the ocean breeze provide ample challenges for avid and amateur golfers alike. With world-class amenities and a golf educational facility, Bulls Bay is one of our community’s gems.

The Bulls Bay team selected Hightower to manage the construction of their club’s centerpiece because of Hightower’s sterling reputation for project management. Hightower paid close attention to all aspects of this high-visibility project, ensuring that cost, schedule, and performance objectives were met. Throughout the project, Hightower maintained open communications with Bulls Bay, ensuring that execution of the plan could safely and efficiently accommodate evolving requirements.

Today, the Bulls Bay Golf Clubhouse stands high on a perch above the ocean – the heart of a beautiful landscape and a welcoming destination for golfers to socialize, eat, and relax.

 

Hero image of Bulls Bay Golf Clubhouse attributed to Holger Obenhaus; other images credited to Bulls Bay Golf Clubhouse.

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WHAT OUR CLIENTS ARE SAYING

Our builders, Hightower Construction of Charleston, have carried out the design and plans to perfection. What a delight it has been to work with them on this special project...

– Father Stan Gumula, Mepkin Abbey

I can truly say that in my more than thirty years in the design and construction industry, I have never worked with a finer team than the one you assembled for this project, from your own employees and project team members to the various subcontractors...

– Bill Turner, City of Charleston Department of Parks


From the onset, [this] was a project described as unique and requiring special skill and expertise to complete. Hightower used this opportunity to build a facility that has been described by experts in the field as "the best indoor range (of that profile) in the country..."

– Eugene L. Coon, Jr., Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, U.S. Department of Homeland Security


[Your site superintendent] showed tremendous knowledge, reliability, and effort on this multi-disciplined scope of work. His knowledge and experience allowed for a smooth flow of multiple contractors and disciplines while both off and on site...

– James Lee, Boeing