Historic Charleston Train Depot Reborn as LC Line & Low

Charleston has never been shy about reinventing itself. But some transformations land with a little more soul. Case in point: the rebirth of the 1857 train repair depot on Line Street — once a humming rail-car workshop, later a fire-scarred shell, now the centerpiece of a 277-unit residential community called LC Line & Low.

It’s a project years in the making, but one that feels rooted, intentional, and distinctly Charleston.

The depot at 44 Line Street served the South Carolina Railroad — later Norfolk Southern — until 1967, when newer routes pulled rail activity elsewhere. After a 1981 fire, the building sat dormant for decades, a hollow reminder of the city’s industrial past.

Lifestyle Communities arrived in 2018 with a plan bold enough for the site: restore the depot, build thoughtfully around it, and create a mixed-style neighborhood that honors what came before.

Kendall Russell-Jones, LC’s vice president of development and acquisitions, said the original rail cars were once rolled “on spurs into the larger bays for mechanical repairs, blacksmith, upholstery and leather work to renovate the cars,” according to the Post & Courier.

Today, those same arched doorways and towering windows frame loft-style residences — complete with exposed brick, metal staircases, basil-green tile backsplashes, and the kind of texture new construction rarely replicates.

The Preservation Society of Charleston has long watched over the depot through an easement dating back to 1984. Anna-Catherine Alexander, the society’s director of advocacy initiatives, called the building part of the “fine-grained historic fabric that Charleston is known for” and praised how LC “clearly prioritized” that during design, per the Post & Courier.

She noted the Italianate industrial structure belongs to a National Historic Landmark District — one of the nation’s largest collections of surviving pre–Civil War railroad facilities.

That heritage is carried throughout the development. Behind the depot, a two-story restaurant with a patio is underway. Nearby, six Charleston single houses — some relocated on-site — are being restored as rentals and retail, including the former Beckroge Bakery property once beloved for its jelly-filled vanilla cakes.

The new construction includes a 9-story building wrapped in more than 1,100 precast façade panels, plus additional structures rising five to nine stories. Inside: a mix of studios, one-bedrooms, and two-bedrooms, many with skyline or harbor views.

One small but clever touch: front doors in five different styles and colors — a break from the sameness typical of big complexes.

Demand is already surging. Within the first week of pre-leasing, three units were snapped up immediately, including a penthouse with views stretching to the Ravenel Bridge, according to the Post & Courier.

Residents (and the public) will also find LC’s signature amenities: The Goat Restaurant and Bar, Morning Ritual coffee shop, and a 6,500-square-foot Code Wellness center offering cardio, sauna, cold plunge, and treatment rooms.

A future retail space will open onto the Lowline, extending the project’s connection to Charleston’s growing urban trail.

As development accelerates along this stretch of downtown, Alexander said the city must stay vigilant in “maintaining the subtle details that define its character” — a challenge Line & Low seems determined to meet, per the Post & Courier.

A once-forgotten depot now anchors a new neighborhood. Not by erasing history, but by elevating it.

This is a summary of an article published in the Post & Courier. Click here if you’d like to read that article.