#CHSPeople: Meet Lou Hammond

If you frequent the King and Broad Street area, you have likely encountered an impeccably dressed redhead walking a long-haired dachshund. She is Lou Hammond, an iconic phenom in downtown Charleston. Lou is Founder and Chairman of the Lou Hammond Group, a public relations agency founded in 1984 serving premium lifestyle audiences. With offices in New York, Charleston, Houston, Denver, Los Angeles and Miami and an international clientele, Lou is a world traveler for both work and pleasure. 

In 1999, Lou purchased a home on Tradd Street and began commuting between Charleston and her New York residence and office. The lure of a calmer lifestyle in a picture-perfect neighborhood was the key. She quickly made friends and became active in civic affairs and serves on the boards of Spoleto Festival USA and the Gibbes Museum of Art, and as Director Emeritus at Medical University of South Carolina Foundation. 

Lou’s interests are wide-ranging. She has a passion for French decorative arts of the 18th century and is active in the Churchill Society covering all aspects of World War II. Lou loves to cook, collecting recipes and creating her own that she shares with family, friends and colleagues.  

“The hospitality of Charlestonians is authentic,” says Lou. “You make friends easily. I am surrounded by all the things I enjoy: 18th Century architecture and antiques, the Library Society, fine dining, the Gibbes Museum, and shops. I can walk to all, including my office. New Yorkers are accustomed to getting around on foot. Presto, my dachshund and I, love our Charleston neighborhood.”