PRESERVATION SOCIETY OF CHARLESTON

Financials

From the e-filed returns the IRS publishes as XML (latest three processing years; amended returns replace the original). PDF copies at the IRS.

Officers, directors and key employees

As listed on the 990 for the year ended June 30, 2025, highest compensation first.

Address and contacts

Address (IRS master file)

PO BOX 521, CHARLESTON, SC 29402-0521

Principal officer (990 for 2024)

Brian Turner, 147 King Street, Charleston, SC 29401

Signed the 990

Brian Turner, President and CEO

Phone

(843) 722-4630

Website

www.preservationsociety.org

Return prepared by

Glaser and Company LLC

Mission

The Preservation Society of Charleston is dedicated to the preservation and enjoyment of Charleston's distinct character, quality of life and diverse neighborhoods.

Program accomplishments

• AdvocacyThe Preservation Society of Charleston (PSC) works to protect Charleston's historic buildings, cultural resources and communities by promoting better development practices, flood mitigation, and tourism management. We support a more livable, sustainable future for Charleston through advocacy, education, and community engagement. The PSC is in a unique position to analyze and explain the connections between planning and zoning decisions and the quality of life for people who live and work in Charleston. Through regular communication (both electronic and print) and an informative and versatile website, the PSC alerts citizens to the issues, encouraging them to engage with their public officials, and to have a voice in the public process. Additional aspects of our advocacy work include:Sustainable Growth and Development by DesignWith intense pressure for new, large-scale development is impacting every major city in America, and Charleston is no exception. The rapid Charleston population growth requires added vigilance to promote sustainable development patterns and preservation of the city's unique architectural character. The community must work together to ensure Charleston doesn't become "Anywhere, USA."Charleston has long been a pioneer in historic preservation. In 1931, urged by the PSC, the City passed the nation's first zoning ordinance to protect historic buildings. For nearly a century, our Board of Architectural Review has been a model for cities around the country, tasked with reviewing applications for demolitions, alterations, and new construction within an area covering over 1,000 acres.Yet, Charleston's desirability in the modern era has wrought major new challenges. City boards and commissions tasked with managing growth are inundated with requests that are ever-increasing in size and complexity. In the last several years, there has been a noted uptick in proposals that are incompatible with environmental realities and the character Charleston has fought to sustain for over 100 years.The PSC's vision for growth puts the responsibility on developers to demonstrate how their project contributes to our unique historic city. The focus of our land-use policies must be on creating a city that works for people, embracing humanistic and resilient design, not simply whatever will most profitably expand the tax base.FloodingCharleston's connection to the sea is integral to its identity. Yet water is a blessing and a curse for our built environment. We must address a complex suite of flooding challenges that threaten our historic city including storm surges, king tides, and groundwater inundation.Successful management of flooding in Charleston requires us to continuously press our public officials to manage growth wisely and invest in critical infrastructure to protect life and property. In the last several years, the impacts to our already flood-prone City have been noticeably accentuated by the rapid growth of our built environment and sea-level rise. Time is of the essence to ensure that the city's growth does not compromise its resilience.The PSC is committed to finding solutions that best safeguard our community and the heritage it stewards from increasing flood events and climate change. Charleston's distinct character, quality of life, and diverse neighborhoods are all at risk if we avoid the continuous need for comprehensive flood risk mitigation.Tourism ManagementThe Preservation Society is a committed advocate for sustainable tourism. The City was a pioneer when it adopted the nation's first local tourism management plan in 1978, but in recent years has missed opportunities to modernize its policies and programs. Key current issues in Charleston tourism that must be addressed include housing affordability, the loss of neighborhood businesses, and increasing congestion.Tourism is not new to Charleston. Visitation to historic buildings was an important economic driver of early historic preservation efforts in the 1920s. And, as the City quickly learned, over-tourism can have harmful consequences. When tourists began whisking away the decorative elements adorning the City's historic dwellings, the Preservation Society responded by pressing for stronger City oversight and later adopted an informal motto: "Gut Fish, Not Houses."Ironically, the destination marketing for Charleston today heavily features the iconic sites that earlier generations had the foresight to preserve. Rainbow Row, once a dilapidated set of rowhouses, graces social media feeds all over the world. Travelers are undoubtedly lured by the city's architectural beauty that preservationists have worked to defend.But, at a point, the attention can strain our City and diminish the values that make it so unique. We face a significant housing shortage at a time when market pressure for hotels and short-term rentals is soaring. Neighborhood-serving businesses are being pushed out by high-end shops and restaurants that cater to tourists. And the quality of the visitor experience is at risk when we romanticize and inaccurately characterize the City's past.Preserving The City of Charleston As A Living CityPreservation today is about honoring the living city - one that evolves to support the needs of the people who live and work here, while maintaining the elements that make is special. As preservationists, the PSC serves as a thought-leader and community organizer, ensuring that the lessons of the past inform the future of our city.Some of our Preservation Initiatives and Projects are as follows:The Carolopolis Awards - Our signature awards program promotes excellence in historic preservation through recognition of exceptional projects that protect the historic resources of Charleston and the Lowcountry. After more than 1,500 awards given, the Carolopolis Award has become as much a part ofthe fabric of the city as the buildings it honors.In February 2025, the PSC hosted the 71st Carolopolis Awards. The PSC recognized a diverse group of 28 winning projects.Resilience Guidance for Charleston - is an initiative of the PSC to empower residents to pursue adaptations that enhance their property's resilience to changing environmental conditions. This resource is the first of its kind for Charleston and was developed over the course of a year in partnership with the City of Charleston.Guided by a nationally-recognized design firm, and robust community feedback on experiences, attitudes, and priorities to address threat impacts, the guidance provides accessible, effective recommendations for enhancing the resilience of existing properties and provide residents the tools they need to navigate the city approval process.The Resilience Guidance for Charleston is organized by specific building and site components and provides readers with information to quickly identify areas of improvement, relative costs, level of necessary professional assistance, and local permit review requirements.UNION PIER REDEVELOPMENT - Union Pier, a 70-acre site in the City of Charleston, has functioned as a working waterfront for centuries. In 2020, the South Carolina State Ports Authority (SPA) contracted with a real estate development company to prepare the property for sale. The quickly-developing project led the PSC to set forward key principles for redevelopment and explore the history of the site to better understand itsevolution and cultural significance.The PSC has been working ever since to ensure the public's voice is heard in this process. A previous proposal had failed to respond to community concerns, including the size and scale of the built environment and insufficient resilience measures that should be the primary focus of new waterfront development. Now, new ownership has a much more sympathetic approach and the PSC is a key community partner to ensure compatible development.Charleston's Justice Journey (CJJ) - The is a project of the PSC that recognizes sites significant to African American history and the ongoing journey toward racial equality in Charleston and the Lowcountry. This online research and mapping initiative is a growing resource for deepening our collective understanding of people, institutions, movements, and events that shaped the course of the region's civil rights history. Through this project, the PSC is partnering with the community to elevate the full narrative of Charleston's history.Mapping Charleston's Black Burial Grounds - The Mapping Charleston's Black Burial Grounds Project is a community-led initiative to identify threatened gravesites in the City of Charleston, South Carolina. Made possible by funding from the National Park Service African American Civil Rights Grant Program, the digital map aims to increase public awareness of Black burial grounds to strengthen protections for these sacred spaces as Charleston grows and develops.
  Expenses $1,155,133 · revenue $324,008
• Retail ShopThe retail operation of the society is comprised of a bricks-and-mortar shop and growing online presence and is staffed by a group of gifted employees. The shop features the work of local "makers" from feather brackish bow ties to a line of locally crafted handbags. More than ever aligned with the PSC's mission of advocating for what is truly authentic and real in Charleston, the retail operation both stabilizes the organization's cash flow and furthers its work, enrolling new members and educating the public about the PSC's mission. (Continued on Schedule O)Since 2015, we've grown our retail business more than fivefold, and there has never been a better time to support local makers. When you shop at the PSC Shop, your support goes far beyond our mission and advocacy work. This year alone, The PSC Shop will put over $1,000,000 back into the local makers and craftsmen community.Our partnership with local makers fits seamlessly with our mission committing us to the quality of life of the Charleston community and our storefront at 147 King Street brings exposure of these craftsmen to the bustling corner of King and Queen streets. As is the case with Brackish, Smithey Ironware Co., Burls & Steel, and J. Stark, The PSC Shop serves as the top national retailer for some of the most esteemed local brands.We're thankful for our members and local customers who make The Shop a primary destination for regional literature, apparel and accessories, and even gourmet grocery items! Customers from out-of-town return home with genuine pieces of Charleston craftsmanship, and, in turn, share the work ofour community with the world.
  Expenses $636,360 · revenue $1,081,279

What it must file and when

IRS records say it files Form 990 or 990-EZ. Based on its last return; a smaller organization may file the 990-N. Its accounting year ends in June, so each return is due on the 15th day of the 5th month after that.

IRS record

EIN

57-0439524

Tax-exempt status

501(c)(3): Charitable, religious, educational or scientific organization

Foundation status

Publicly supported organization (509(a)(2))

Donations deductible (Pub 78)

Public charity, 50% deduction limit

Exempt since

1961

Accounting year ends

June

Files

Form 990 or 990-EZ

Assets (IRS master file)

$13,074,300

Income (IRS master file)

$8,851,268

Filing history

990-N: the IRS bulk file holds only the latest e-Postcard per organization; earlier years come from archived copies of that file since 2020 and can have gaps (the IRS e-Postcard search lists every one). 990, 990-EZ, 990-PF, 990-T: every e-filed return in the IRS e-file index since 2019; XML for the latest three processing years, amounts from the IRS Statistics of Income extracts before that. PDF copies and determination letters at the IRS (search EIN 57-0439524).

Questions about PRESERVATION SOCIETY OF CHARLESTON

What is the EIN of PRESERVATION SOCIETY OF CHARLESTON?

The employer identification number (EIN) of PRESERVATION SOCIETY OF CHARLESTON is 57-0439524.

Is PRESERVATION SOCIETY OF CHARLESTON tax-exempt?

Yes. The IRS lists it as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) since 1961.

Are donations to PRESERVATION SOCIETY OF CHARLESTON tax-deductible?

Yes. It is listed in IRS Publication 78 (Public charity, 50% deduction limit).

Which annual return does PRESERVATION SOCIETY OF CHARLESTON file?

Form 990 or 990-EZ. Based on its last return; a smaller organization may file the 990-N.

When is the next return of PRESERVATION SOCIETY OF CHARLESTON due?

The return for tax year 2025 (the year ending June 30, 2026) is due November 16, 2026. Form 8868 extends it by six months; the 990-N cannot be extended.

When did PRESERVATION SOCIETY OF CHARLESTON last file with the IRS?

The latest return in the IRS public files is the 990 for the year ended June 2025.

Who is the principal officer of PRESERVATION SOCIETY OF CHARLESTON?

The 990 for the year ended June 30, 2025 names Brian Turner.

Who are the officers and directors of PRESERVATION SOCIETY OF CHARLESTON?

The 990 for the year ended June 30, 2025 lists 28 people; 3 received compensation from the organization, the highest $161,792 (Brian Turner, President and CEO).

How much revenue does PRESERVATION SOCIETY OF CHARLESTON have?

On its 990 for the year ended June 30, 2025 it reported revenue of $4,041,103, expenses of $2,546,655 and total assets of $13,074,300 at year end.

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