Brittlebank Park — Attraction in Charleston

Brittlebank Park is located along the Ashley River in Charleston, South Carolina.

Area10 acres (4.0 ha) Created1975 Operated by City of Charleston

Brittlebank Park is a ten-acre park located between Lockwood Boulevard (to the east) and the Ashley River (to the west) in Charleston, South Carolina.

To the south is a condominium project and to the north is the minor league baseball stadium, the Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park.

The land upon which Brittlebank Park is built was used as a landfill and garbage dump, opened in 1954 and closed in 1970 when the United States Corps of Engineers charged that it was polluting the Ashley River.

The park is named for Julius Brittlebank, who made his fortune by starting as an office boy in a grits mill in Indiana and eventually formed his own company, Hudnut Milling Co., at the turn of the twentieth century.

He had settled in Charleston in 1889, and he died in 1937 in Hawaii during his eighteenth trip around the world.

In his will, he left about $89,000 to each of three cities for the construction of parks including one in Charleston and two in Indiana.

His estate's gift was triggered upon the death of his son, Frank Brittlebank, on November 26, 1966.

The conditions were that the cities had to name the parks in honor of Mr. Brittlebank and maintain the parks.

Charleston's City Council accepted the money on January 24, 1967. The park was built in 1975.

Two acres at the northern end of the park were given to the Citadel (The Military College of South Carolina) as part of a complex land swap with the City of Charleston.

The transfer, approved by the State of South Carolina in December 1993, was necessary for the construction of Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park.

Brittlebank Park is a largely passive park along the waterfront.

The Charleston Department of Leisure Services sought permission build a boardwalk and dock at the park in December 1977 at the northern end, but the pier was not completed until 1992.

The park includes a playground which was specifically crafted to accommodate handicapped children.

Because of its largely open design, Brittlebank Park has been a popular location for special events such as musical events, sporting tournaments, and political protests.

In 1987, residents gathered at Brittlebank Park to mark Harmonic Convergence Day.

Starting in 1989, a local radio station hosted a large series of concerts at Brittlebank Park known as "WaveFest" (in honor of the 96 Wave station).

The event quickly grew too large for the venue with as many as 75,000 people attending in 1995. City Council adopted a limit on the size of such events at Brittlebank Park, and the 1996 edition was moved to another site in Charleston.

In 1999, the park was the location for another musical event hosted by a radio station, the Z-93 Budweiser Reggae Festival

In 2011, Brittlebank Park was the center for the Occupy movement's...

This place seems aged but it is awesome. Maybe it is the "from out of town" speaking but my family loved it. Really nice views, nice big trees, landscaping seemed well kept, facilities were clean for the apparent age. By that I mean some of the soft pad material and play sets were a little faded and worn in. Guess who doesn't care about that? The kids having a blast! Other patrons were friendly. After playing hard for about 1.5 hrs we walked over to the little pier and got to see some locals fishing. We didn't intrude in their space but one gentleman walked over and handed my son a live fish! Cool! experience for a little...

The Brittlebank Park is in a good, central area, across from the local police headquarters, easily-accessible, but with a somewhat odd parking lot. The people that frequent here tend to be friendly. The park has a large, long pier reaching out into the Ashley River where people walk, fish and crab all day. The playground area is large and well-designed with soft surface ground covers and many play structures from which to choose. The City of Charleston has designed and cared for a good park here with plenty of room to run, play and bring a dog. Please let us know if this has been a...