In the decades after the Civil War, Charleston’s Upper King Street district became a booming commercial enclave of newly immigrated Jewish merchants. This area, which extended along Upper King Street from Calhoun Street to past Line Street, became known locally as “Little Jerusalem.” Recognition of the people and places who established this legendary corridor, however, is long overdue.

In this talk, Brittany Lavelle Tulla of BVL Historic Preservation Research will introduce a new project aimed to gain National Register of Historic Places status for the Little Jerusalem Historic District, which will honor the journey and culture of the German, Polish and Russian Jewish families that built the buildings of Upper King Street and the businesses they operated.