House of Louie site remains important to Florence's history, future

FLORENCE — The former site of the Chinese restaurant House of Louie carries a great deal of history as the homeplace of Florence’s second mayor, or intendant, in that day’s terminology.

That’s one reason why the family trust that owns the property is weighing the options for the property’s future, said Florence attorney Ben Zeigler, who represents the trust.

“The trust is being very deliberate because it recognizes not only (the property’s) value to the trust ... but also its potential significance to Florence and downtown Florence,” Zeigler said.

The House of Louie, which closed about a year ago, was demolished this past week. The former restaurant stood at the northwest corner of South Irby and West Palmetto streets, also U.S. 52 and U.S. 76, respectively.

“From a visual and aesthetic standpoint, that is an important corner, one that we will want to be protective of because it does project the image of Florence to passersby from around the nation,” Florence Urban Planning and Development Director Phillip Lookadoo said.

The former restaurant was commonly viewed as a downtown landmark, although an unappealing one. At a recent meeting, City of Florence Design Review Board members jokingly made motions to approve the building’s demolition before even receiving a staff report on the issue. Heavy equipment sat behind the building even before the demolition had been approved.

Home of the Kuker family

The site’s historical significance lies in its status as the home of John Kuker. Kuker served as intendant after moving to Florence in 1866, a year after he emigrated from Hamburg, Germany, according to the book “Florence: A Renaissance Spirit,” by Eugene N. Zeigler, Ben Zeigler’s father.

Kuker, who lived from 1845 to 1926, opened a mercantile establishment and also was a moneylender.

His political credentials include his election as a city warden, or councilman, from 1876 to 1878 and 1884 to 1886.

Howard Johnson and beyond

The Kuker family’s house stood until the 1960s, when most homes near downtown were converted to businesses or demolished, Ben Zeigler said.

After the Kuker home was gone, the property became a Howard Johnson hotel in its first incarnation, he said. It later became The Coachman restaurant and reopened in the late 1980s as the House of Louie.

The Kuker family trust went through a lengthy process of determining that the lease had ended before demolishing the building, Ben Zeigler said.

In addition, the building was required to undergo environmental assessments as well as asbestos and lead paint removal under the supervision of the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, Ben Zeigler said.

The Florence County/Municipal Historical Commission found no historical significance of the building that would delay the demolition. Once the city’s Design Review Board approved the demolition request, the building came down within days.

Other plans could be in the works for the major intersection of South Irby and West Palmetto streets. The property on the intersection’s southwest corner, directly across from the former House of Louie, has the Design Review Board’s approval for a Walgreens store.

Lookadoo, however, said he doesn’t know the status of the plans for that site. He said at a recent board meeting, however, that Heritage Place hotel, at the store’s possible site, is close to submitting a demolition request.