page_title: Hampton Park (Charleston)
section_title: Park
hierarchical_section_title: Hampton Park (Charleston) / Park
caption_attribution_description: English: Charleston, SC.
context_page_description: Hampton Park is a public park located in peninsular Charleston, South Carolina, United States. At 60 acres, it is the largest park on the peninsula. It is bordered by The Citadel to the west, Hampton Park Terrace to the south, North Central to the east, and Wagener Terrace to the north. The park is named in honor of Confederate General Wade Hampton III who, at the time of the Civil War, owned one of the largest collections of slaves in the South. After the Civil War, Hampton became a proponent of the Lost Cause movement, member of the Red Shirts and governor of South Carolina.
context_section_description: The city of Charleston acquired a part of the exposition land for a park. The park is named in honor of Confederate General Wade Hampton III who, at the time of the Civil War was one of the largest enslavers in the South. After the Civil War, Hampton became a proponent of the Lost Cause movement, member of the Red Shirts and governor of South Carolina. The bandstand from the trade exposition, once located in the center of the park, was saved and moved to its present location at the east edge of the park at the foot of Cleveland St. In addition, the building at 30 Mary Murray Blvd., which is currently used as the city's Parks Department offices, was retained from the exposition, where it served as a tea house.
  The city retained the services of Olmsted, Olmsted & Elliott, a landscaping firm from Boston. John Charles Olmsted, the adopted son of Frederick Law Olmsted, designed a plan for a park following his first visit to Charleston in 1906. At least part of his plans for long parkways along the Ashley River were disrupted when the city sold the approximately 200 acres (0.81 km²) along the Ashley River, the Rhett Farm tract, to the Citadel for the relocation and expansion of its campus.
  During the mid-20th century, the park included a zoo. It was opened in 1932, and an aviary was added about six years later. Most of the animals, including a lion, were donated to the zoo or bred at the zoo.  By the mid-1960s, the zoo had become run-down.  The zoo closed in 1975,  and its contents were largely transferred to Charles Towne Landing, a new state park.
  
  The city began a redevelopment of the park starting in the early 1980s. Following several years of decline in the park's condition, the city refocused landscaping efforts on the park, reduced crime, and installed a small snack stand designed by Sandy Logan.  
   The refurbished park reopened in June 1984 after a year of improvement work when the Piccolo Spoleto finale was held at Hampton Park. The park is popular with walkers, joggers, and cyclists who use the 1-mile (1.6 km) perimeter road for exercise. In previous years, the park was the location for the finale of the Piccolo Spoleto Festival and in present-day remains the site for the MOJA Festival in addition to many weddings and other special events. 
  (Note: The Finale of the Spoleto Festival USA has been moved to Middleton Place, a nearby historical plantation.)
  In May 2015, a non-profit known as the Charleston Parks Conservancy unveiled a proposal to rework parts of the park. The plan would restore the c. 1901 structure at 30 Mary Murray Blvd. and rework the neighboring stables as part of a special events venue. In a different phase of the master plan, the stand-alone snack stand was designated to again become an active food station. The renovation of the snack stand was completed in 2019. The snack stand became the Rose Pavilion, a public gathering place.
caption: Charleston, South Carolina
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