This thesis examines a portion of the restoration and rehabilitation work Herbert A. DeCosta Jr. and the H. A. DeCosta Company completed in the 1960s and 1970s in Charleston, South Carolina. A third generation, African-American contractor, DeCosta specialized in the restoration of historic structures. A native of the city, he possessed an innate understanding and respect for the city's architectural heritage, and he worked throughout the city and region to promote the preservation of this heritage. Under the direction of Herbert DeCosta, the H. A. DeCosta Company worked with Historic Charleston Foundation on numerous properties in their revolutionary Ansonborough Rehabilitation Project in the 1960s and 1970s. Through an analysis of the type and extent of his work in this neighborhood revitalization effort, as well as through an examination of the quality of his restorations, this thesis explores DeCosta's role in the movement that defined a preservation ethic for Charleston.