The Vendue, a boutique hotel in Charleston’s historic French Quarter, has reopened its doors after a six-month renovation project. The renovations introduced two new restaurant concepts, The Drawing Room and The Press; a property-wide art program; and updates to the hotel’s vast collection of room types.
The property is made up of two main structures known as 19 and 26 Vendue. The hotels are housed in a number of historic warehouse buildings dating back to the 1780s. Due to the historic nature of the buildings, no two rooms are alike and each is decorated with different period reproduction furnishings or true antiques.
As Charleston’s first hotel dedicated to the arts, The Vendue will feature two to three rotating exhibits per year, each curated under the direction of Charleston-based Robert Lange Studios.
“We hope to make The Vendue an integral part of the Charleston art community,” said Jonathan Weitz, president of Avocet Hospitality Group, the parent company of The Vendue. “We have challenged our team to introduce artistic elements into nearly all aspects of the hotel in order to create a place where guests and locals can be inspired at every turn.”
The Vendue is home to one of the largest collections of original art in Charleston, with more than 300 pieces of art, of all forms and styles, spanning the property. The main exhibition covers all public spaces within 19 Vendue. Installations are also on display in all of the guestroom corridors and the public areas of 26 Vendue, and guests staying in the hotel’s concierge-level rooms will enjoy a selection of artwork unique to their room, provided by The Mary Martin Gallery.
The hotel staff includes a full-time art docent that offers daily tours of the exhibit and assists guests with any questions pertaining to the art.
“We’ve designed the space to allow anyone, whether they’re art enthusiasts or novices, the opportunity to explore and enjoy art from around the globe,” said Robert Lange, owner of Robert Lange Studios. “Hopefully in doing so, guests will be inspired to discover their own artistic abilities.”
In addition to the exhibit space and interactive art installations found throughout the property, The Vendue’s art program also features an Artist in Residence program. Charles Williams, a professional contemporary realist painter from Georgetown, South Carolina, and a graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia, is the first artist to use the property’s working studio.
The Vendue’s inaugural art exhibit, “Here Now” is currently on display and features about 65 pieces of art from more than 30 artists. “Here Now” showcases some of the best art Charleston has to offer and draws work from six of Charleston’s premier galleries. The exhibit will be on view through October 2014.
“The exhibition unfolds with a general theme: a cross section of the most talented and progressive artists currently exhibiting their work in Charleston,” said Lange.
As part of the property’s restructuring, The Vendue introduced a new dining concept, The Drawing Room, which replaced the property’s former restaurant The Library. The Drawing Room is open daily for breakfast and dinner. Hours of operation are 7-10 a.m. and 4-11 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7-11 a.m. and 4 p.m. to midnight on weekends.
Executive Chef Jon Cropf delivers a tapas-style menu designed to push the boundaries of what guests expect of southern-based restaurants. The menu offers a variety of shared plates, soups and salads, entrées, and desserts – all inspired by seasonal, local fare. Shared plates range from $9 to $19, and entrées range from $22 to $28.
Down from The Drawing Room, on the corner of East Bay Street and Vendue Range, is the second of The Vendue’s new concepts, The Press. The Press serves Starbucks coffee and The Vendue’s own homemade light bites. It is open 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekends. The space once housed the original location of South Carolina’s first newspaper, The South Carolina Gazette. The paper was also home to the first female publisher in the United States, Elizabeth Timothy.
These two new dining concepts join the property’s Rooftop Bar with views of Charleston and the harbor, including Waterfront Park, the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge and Fort Sumter.
