| Marion Square | |
|---|---|
 Marion Square looking northeast, with the Old Citadel (left) and the L. Mendel Rivers Federal Building (right) in the background | |
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| Coordinates | 32°47′13″N 79°56′9″W / 32.78694°N 79.93583°W |
Marion Square is greenspace in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, spanning six and one half acres.[1][2] The square was established as a parade ground for the state arsenal under construction on the north side of the square. It is best known as the former Citadel Green because The Citadel occupied the arsenal from 1843 until 1922, when the college moved to Charleston's west side. The name was then changed to Marion Square, in honor of Francis Marion.
The square is bounded by Calhoun (south), Meeting (east), Tobacco (a pedestrian only right-of-way that lies between the square and properties to the north) and King (west) Streets. The land is what remains from a 10-acre (40,000 m2) parcel conveyed to the colony of South Carolina in 1758.[1] The square is jointly owned by the Washington Light Infantry and the Sumter Guards.[2] There objections prevented city officials from paving the park as a parking lot in 1956[3] and also prevented its development as a shopping center.[4] It is operated as a public park under a lease by the city of Charleston. Under the terms of the lease, the center of the square is kept open as a parade ground.[5] Marion Square is situated directly across from the historic Citadel Square Baptist Church and the South Carolina State Arsenal (Old Citadel). The space is a favorite place for College of Charleston students because of its proximity to campus. In 2003, city council member Wendell Gaillard proposed banning sun-bathing in Marion Square ("This 'Girls-Gone-Wild'-type attitude has caught ahold all across the country. We don't want it to get to that point . . .," Gaillard said),[6] but his proposal was met with little support; Gaillard claimed that exposing churchgoers and family to sunbathing was wrong and that sun-bathing students might attract stalkers to the area.[7]
The square is the home to many monuments, including a Holocaust memorial and a statue of John Calhoun in cast bronze atop a giant pillar.[8] In 1944, a bandstand in the Art Moderne style was built according to plans by Augustus Constantine, but the building was demolished by the City during a later reworking of the park[9] that began in August 2000[10] and concluded in 2001.[11] The bandstand had been in very poor shape since at least 1961 when city council approved its removal.[12] During the summer the square is also the home to a farmers market on Saturdays[13] and various festivals such as the Food and Wine Festival and the renowned Spoleto Arts Festival. Since 1913 a tree has been placed in Marion Square for the Christmas season.[14]
