The H.L. Hunley was the first Civil War submarine to sink another ship, however, in the process of doing so it sank to the bottom of the Charleston harbor. In 2000, the historic vessel was recovered and began a long restoration process. Three cities competed to host the H.L.Hunley Museum, which was awarded to the North Charleston team of BNIM, Noisette Company, Burt Hill Kosar Rittelman, and Ralph Appelbaum Associates. The Museum includes interactive, multimedia exhibits, forensic reconstruction of crew remains in artwork, a 100-seat virtual reality theater, and ancillary exhibits including other naval vessels.

North Charleston, South Carolina
40,000 square feet
Collaboration with Noisette Company, Burt Hill Kosar Rittelman, and Ralph Appelbaum Associates

The design solution for the new facility is envisioned as two parts: the laboratory, a state of the art facility telling the story of the sub, crew and victims; and the recovery, exhibiting what we have learned from the unearthing of the vessel. This component is unlike architecture as we know it, evoking the forms of the river bottom where the Hunley laid for a century and a half. Crossing over a bridge, past the old rail line to Pier Alpha, one encounters the actual submarine suspended in the enclosure envisioned as the “Crucible.” This space is designed to contrast the industrial ingenuity, heaviness and psychological issues of the three crews that died in the course of duty, and it also pays tribute to all who have died to uphold beliefs of sovereignty.