Theodora Park a Model for Future →

The Post and Courier

Public spaces become more and more precious as peninsular Charleston grows, and the city received a new gem this week.

Today, the Charleston Parks Conservancy and a group of enthusiastic citizens will dedicate Theodora Park, a small but welcoming pocket of green space at the corner of George and Anson streets.

Technically the park isn’t new. It replaces an older public space that neighbors — including David Rawle, a longtime Ansonborough resident who spearheaded the renovation — said was underutilized and poorly maintained. The park, named in honor of Mr. Rawle’s mother, seems poised for a much brighter future.

Designed, funded and built in a collaboration that includes private citizens, the CPC and the city of Charleston, Theodora Park exemplifies the power of teamwork and the ability of enthusiastic neighbors to bring positive change to their community. It should serve as a model for future projects.

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Charleston to Dedicate Revamped Ansonborough Park on Saturday →

Charleston City Paper

A tiny corner in Ansonborough has gotten an outsized amount of attention in a dramatic makeover. Theodora Park at the corner of George and Anson Streets will be officially dedicated Saturday after a $540,000 renovation.

The upgrade turns what was once a dusty, little-used playground across from the back-side of the Gaillard Auditorium into an inviting, well-appointed pocket park befitting its location across from what will soon become the new Gaillard Center performance hall.

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Tiny Theodora Park Gets Huge Makeover →

The Post and Courer

For two decades, David Rawle thought about improving the overgrown and under-used tot lot at George and Anson streets, just around the corner from his Ansonborough home.

After he retired from the public relations and marketing firm that bears his name, Rawle Murdy, he did more than just thinking. The city will hold a small ceremony Saturday to celebrate the result.

Theodora Park — newly renamed to honor Rawle’s mother — is one of Charleston’s most unique pocket parks. If it’s not the first to feature art alongside nature, it’s certainly the first to have its own website, Facebook page, Instagram and Twitter accounts.

Mayor Joe Riley called the park “another beautiful small public space in our city, and we have many.”

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Gardening

The New York Times

Gardeners have active fantasy lives to keep us going despite constant setbacks. Fifty shades of green don’t begin to capture what’s looping through our brains. Lucky is the gardener who can bring those fantasies to life — to the delight or comfort of family and strangers alike. In Charleston, S.C., David Rawle has created a beautifully tranquil public garden dedicated to the memory of his mother, Theodora, an avid gardener. Theodora Park features palmetto trees and camellias; a ceramic artist has created colorful tiles for a fountain. On the other coast, Apple’s chief executive, Tim Cook, is sinking five billion shades of green into an Eden for his company’s new California campus. Perhaps no one will ever be tempted to leave.

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