Century-old live oak successfully relocated to anchor new Gather MTP campus

A century-old live oak has completed a rare journey across the future Gather MTP campus in Midtown Mount Pleasant, officially taking its place as the defining marker of the new 5.5-acre, pedestrian-focused destination.

Rather than clearing the tree for construction, the development team behind Gather MTP spent more than a year preparing it for a safe move—pruning the root ball, irrigating it daily, mulching, and selectively removing surrounding trees to increase its sunlight exposure and overall health. On Wednesday, specialty firm Environmental Design, Inc. executed the final stage of the relocation, carefully moving the tree across the property where it will be replanted at the heart of the campus.

“This tree has been at the center of our thinking since the very first sketches,” said Mack Cross, partner and co-developer of Gather MTP. “Instead of designing a project and then forcing the landscape to fit, we designed Gather MTP around this live oak. It will be the visual anchor, the brand marker, and the place people instinctively meet when they say, ‘Let’s go to Gather MTP.’”

The tree was moved 700 feet across the property and now anchors a generous lawn that will connect three primary components of the campus:

• Gather MTP, an outdoor-oriented food and gathering destination
• A new 10,000-square-foot office building
• Crooked Hammock Brewery, a family-friendly restaurant and brewery with a large backyard

The site is stitched into the surrounding neighborhood by an existing one-acre park and the adjacent Hyatt House hotel, creating a continuous “green thread” of outdoor space from the hotel’s front door through the park, across the Gather MTP lawn, and into Crooked Hammock’s expansive outdoor area.

“We’ve been working on this vision for more than four years, and today feels like a turning point,” said Preston Wendell, the project’s co-developer. “We’re glad we chose to invest the time, resources, and expert care to keep this live oak and make it the soul of the campus. Our hope is that neighbors will feel proud of this place, like it’s an extension of their own backyard.”

In addition to the relocated tree, multiple mature live oaks on the adjoining Crooked Hammock parcel are being preserved, reinforcing the project’s commitment to an outdoor and pedestrian-oriented environment.

Environmental Design, Inc. has moved large trees around the world and has worked on projects at several high-profile sites including the White House and the 9/11 Memorial.

“Moving a tree of this age and size is never routine,” said Phillip Zellner, project manager with Environmental Design, Inc. “Roughly 80 percent of this tree’s 400,000-pound weight is in the root ball, which is about 38-and-a-half feet across and four feet deep. We root-pruned it in October 2024, encapsulated the root ball last week, set it on a pipe platform yesterday, and today we’re using our patented ArborLift™ system to roll it into place without pulling on the canopy or tearing up the soil. When you take those steps and provide good aftercare, heritage trees like this can thrive.” Bartlett Tree Service has provided ongoing arborist care before and after the move and will continue to monitor the tree’s health as the campus is built out.

Site work at Gather MTP began earlier this fall, marking the horizontal construction phase of the project. Vertical construction of the buildings will follow, with additional tenant and timeline details to be announced as leases are finalized.

“Today is a celebration of the tree, but it’s also a celebration of everything it represents,” Cross added. “Gather MTP is about creating a walkable, outdoor-centric place for Mount Pleasant—somewhere that feels distinctly Lowcountry, rooted in the landscape rather than paved over it. This live oak is our promise that we mean what we say.”

About Gather MTP

Gather MTP is a new campus in Midtown Mount Pleasant designed as a walkable, outdoor-focused destination for neighbors and visitors. Centered around a preserved century-old live oak and a central lawn, the campus will bring together food and beverage concepts, office/medical space, and generous green space connected to an existing park and the adjacent Hyatt House hotel. Gather MTP is being developed by Whitewater Property Ventures and Four Oaks Property Group.