American College of the Building Arts

American College of the Building Arts is a four-year private liberal arts and sciences college located in Charleston, SC. It is licensed by the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education. The College is seeking accreditation through the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.^[1] The College is unique in the United States in offering a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in the Building Arts. Students enrolled at the college choose from among six traditional building trades: Timber Framing, Architectural Carpentry, Plaster working, Preservation Masonry, Blacksmithing (Forged Architectural Iron) and Architectural Stone Carving.^[2]

History

After hurricane Hugo struck much of the South Eastern United States in 1998, many of the historic coastal Carolina were damaged or destroyed. This left much of the iron, plaster, and fine wood work in Charleston in disrepair.^[3] The College began partially in response to the lack of skilled specialists to restore the historical Charleston buildings that were damaged. Today the college is among the smallest in the United States with an average enrollment under 50 from 2005-2015.^[4] Students hail from 29 states and come from a wide background. The average age of our freshmen is 25. A quarter of the student body is female.

Academics

The College is designed to maintain low student to faculty ratio and joins traditional liberal arts education with traditional programs in trade education – specifically the Framing and Plaster programs are based on the Compagnons du Devoir in France and the Stone program is based on programs at Lincoln Cathedral and Wells Cathedral in the UK. The Iron Program has a long association with Colonial Williamsburg and also with the work of Phillip Simmons, one of the founders of the College. In addition to trade specific classes, students pursue a course of General Studies that includes not only typical college courses like English and math but also specialized courses like drawing, design, materials science and construction management.^[5] It houses a comprehensive library of historic and modern books focused around the artisanal trades and hosts lectures and seminars.

Campus History

American College of the Building Arts is housed in the Old Charleston District Jail which was originally constructed in 1802 and served to house prisoners until it was decommissioned from 1939.^[6] The jail was expanded in 1855 to include an octagonal rear wing. There were many infamous inmates including high seas pirates, Lavinia Fischer - the female mass murder, and Denmark Vesey. During the Civil War both Confederate and Union prisoners were incarcerated within its wall. The College views itself as the caretaker of the building and its history. As part of ACBA's living learning laboratory, the professors lead the students in assessment of needs and the proper ways to restore damage.^[7] The College added a second campus to house the carpentry and blacksmithing programs as they grew. Recently, with the purchase of the historic Trolley Barn on Meeting Street, ACBA plans to reunite all of the trades under one roof. The plans for the repurposed building are to maintain the historic ethos while providing the students with modern academic classrooms.

References

External links

• http://buildingartscollege.us/