‘It’s pretty unsettling’ Residents describe hasty exit amid Dockside Condo evacuation

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Residents continue to evacuate Dockside Condominiums Thursday due to structural concerns, per its association request on Feb. 26.

The Dockside Association Board received a letter from WJE, an engineering firm they hired, to assess the load capacity of the floors. The firm deemed the building unsafe for occupancy, and the building’s board of directors informed residents that night.

“An email went out from the management saying that the city has told us we have to vacate the building and we have basically today and 5 o’clock tomorrow to take out – to get out, we cannot take out furniture out. It’s just personal belongings and they would like us to take out any perishables,” Harry Traulsen Jr., a resident, said.

The Dockside Board of Directors initially had the tower residents evacuate, but sent out an update regarding the townhome residents.

“Our primary concern is the safety and well-being of our residents, visitors and staff. This afternoon, we were informed by the City of Charleston that for safety reasons, we have to evacuate the townhomes adjacent to Dockside Condominiums in downtown Charleston,” the Dockside Board of Directors, said.

Officials said the tower building currently has 112 units and has between 60-70% full-time occupancy. The condominiums were originally built in the 1970s. Residents were flowing in and out of the gate as they were packing up their personal items and leaving. Some of their friends even helped out during this situation.

“He’s in shock and he’s really frazzled. I mean his friends are trying to rally around him and try to give him some comfort. It’s pretty unsettling,” Brendan Mhee, a friend of a resident, said.

Though this evacuation is for safety reasons, officials cited that the concrete slabs of the original construction are “significantly overstressed,” and that “the structure has insufficient capacity to continue to be safely occupied until substantial structural strengthening is implemented.”

The building has a previous history of issues as well, dating back to March 2023. City leaders asked the board to correct issues including columns that needed shoring, and proper emergency standards. The structure was deemed safe after repair work was done.

“There was a lot going on in the building for a long time and I’m actually surprised we’re getting a vacate order, but again that’s the city and safety is the most important we can do,” Traulsen Jr. said.

Residents have until Feb. 28 at 5:00 p.m. to evacuate. City officials said they will meet with WJE and reassess the load capacity once residents are no longer there.