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, South Carolina. 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.

Its stated mission is: "The American College of the Building Arts educates and trains artisans in the traditional building arts to foster exceptional craftsmanship and encourage the preservation, enrichment and understanding of the world’s architectural heritage through a liberal arts and sciences education."

American College of the Building Arts junior measuring for a custom stair.

Current students come from more than 30 states. A quarter of the student body is female while a fifth are veterans. Ninety percent of students have secured employment prior to graduation due to their expertise, critical analysis, and deep knowledge base of preservation, restoration, context, and appropriate materials needed in each of their chosen fields. The interdisciplinary approach allows them to be as educated as the architects with whom they work.^[2]

History

After hurricane Hugo struck much of the South Eastern United States in 1998, many of the historic coastal Carolina buildings were damaged or destroyed. This left much of the iron, plaster, and fine wood work in Charleston in disrepair. 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.^[3]

Academics

Student at the American College of the Building Arts working with steel.

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.

American College of the Building Arts freshman math class.

^[4]

The Byrne-Diderot Library houses over 5000 monographs and archival resources, both in print and digital formats. It also houses a large collection of artifacts, including heritage tools, 19th-century Charleston ironwork, 16th- to 20th-century architectural plaster molds, and 20th-century plaster reproductions of ancient architectural and historical models. They also have numerous examples modern interpretations of historic architecture.

Campus history

American College of the Building Arts junior carving a stone mantle.

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.^[5] 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.^[6]

American College of the Building Arts ground breaking of the Old Charleston Trolley Barn on May 7, 2015.

The College added a second campus to house the carpentry and forged architectural ironwork 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. On May 7, 2015, over 150 people attended the ground breaking ceremony ^[7] for the resurrection of this historic structure.

References

External links

• http://buildingartscollege.us/
• Media related to American College of the Building Arts at Wikimedia Commons