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Sometimes a provocative question is enough to spark action. In 2022, a Post and Courier editorial asked, “Is Charleston losing its last chance for a central park downtown?” At the heart of the proposition was a one-acre parcel beside the Gibbes Museum of Art, and for businessman and developer Ben Navarro and his wife, Kelly, it presented an intriguing possibility. Ben’s father, Frank, a beloved college football coach, had recently died, and the family saw in the property an opportunity to honor him and his belief in the American dream as a “testament to freedom, unity, and possibility.” The park “will bring together the citizens of Charleston and become a place to celebrate all that we have in common,” Ben announced at American Gardens’ November 2025 opening.
Today, where crumbling gray pavement once stretched between King and Meeting streets, an alley of 68 crepe myrtles and two towering iron fountains surrounded by 100 magnolias links the two main thoroughfares. Bistro tables and chairs offer spots for sipping coffee (available at the park’s Coffee Cart), and a large lawn welcomes rambunctious kids or picnicking sweethearts. Over the holidays last year, a carousel and live music drew a nonstop stream of families. From running groups to silent reading sessions beneath the oaks to weekly flower and farmer’s markets and weekend live music, the park’s programming “encourages connection and enjoyment and looks to support small businesses and people we can uplift,” says American Gardens manager Eric Mann.
Unlike other parks mentioned in this story, American Gardens is privately owned and maintained. But it’s a most welcome addition to the city’s parks portfolio, says Charleston Parks Conservancy executive director Jason Kronsberg. “American Gardens is an incredible gift to the City of Charleston. The Navarro family and the Beemok team have given something almost immeasurable in value. To create a privately constructed, publicly open park space is overwhelmingly benevolent of them,” he says. “Our goal at the Parks Conservancy is to cultivate exceptional public gardens, so to measure against excellence, which is what the Navarro family has done, gives us something to strive for, both in terms of aesthetics and community engagement.”
American Gardens
174 King St.
Hours: Daily, 7 a.m.-9 p.m.
www.americangardenschs.com
