The Refinery, located at 1640 Meeting Street Road, is the newest urban development to open on Charleston's upper peninsula. The mixed-use venue was designed for both work and play with office space, food and beverage, retail, and special event areas, as well as an outdoor music amphitheater.
The Refinery features 17 commercial spaces and is anchored by The Whale, an Asheville-based craft beer collective; Sweet Grass Vodka, a Charleston-based vodka distillery; and a restaurant space, which is still currently available for lease.
Current tenants also include Mountain Shore Properties, Green Rock, Hudson Cooper Design, Jane Pope Jewelry, Liollio Architecture, Metal and Petal, Nice Brands, Ohm Radio, The Flyway Companies, The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, TSWII Capital Advisors, and Rebecca Atwood Designs. One office space in the building remains available.
The property sits on what used to be one of the region's largest oil refineries, which served as the inspiration behind the location's name. The Refinery is adjacent to its sister property, 1600 Meeting, another popular office space restored in 2014 and home to artists, nonprofits and creatives, including Cortney Bishop Design and Queen + Knox by Mary Welch Fox of HGTV's Breaking Bland. The combined campus, which encompasses The Refinery and 1600 Meeting Street buildings, features 36 commercial spaces.
“The Refinery offers something different for Charleston, catering to niche businesses and creatives in the area, while also honoring the history of the property and forming a new space for our community to come together,” said Lindsay Nevin, owner and CEO of The Flyway Companies, which developed the project. “Our goal was to build a centralized campus that would be an asset for the area, where people can come and work, then walk straight from the office to happy hour, dinner or a live show. We hope The Refinery becomes the Lowcountry's go-to spot for working and entertaining, for residents and visitors alike.”
The Refinery's outdoor amphitheater will begin scheduling concerts and events in 2022. The space can accommodate up to 1,500 guests and will host a variety of national, regional, and local performing arts acts. The amphitheater greenspace will feature a covered stage, permanent restrooms, and concessions in retrofitted shipping containers, and a unique greenroom for its artists, housed in a renovated railcar.
The Refinery will also start offering its outdoor rooftop as a private event space in 2022 for corporate events, parties, weddings, and more. The rooftop can accommodate up to 150 people and features a 180-degree view of Charleston.
Construction on The Refinery began in 2019 and interior work will continue through 2022.
The historic buildings of 1600 Meeting, located at 1630 Meeting Street Road, were initially constructed in 1926 by the Standard Oil Company, which ultimately became the Exxon Corporation. The buildings were sold by Exxon in the early 1960s and the industrial complex housed Nielsen Electronics Institute from 1965 to 1988. After Nielsen Electronics moved to North Charleston, the buildings sat vacant until 2011, when The Flyway Companies transformed the site into a collaborative creative space. The Refinery is an extension of that space.
For more information about The Refinery, visit therefinerysc.com or follow The Refinery on Facebook (The Refinery) and Instagram (@TheRefineryCHS).
