American College of the Building Arts

Last updated
American College of the Building Arts
American-College-of-the-Building-Arts-building.jpg
Motto
Aut disce Aut discede
Motto in English
Learn or Leave
TypePrivate Liberal Arts College
Established2004
Academic affiliation
SCCHE
President Colby M. Broadwater III
Academic staff
22
Administrative staff
9
Location
Charleston
,
South Carolina
,
U.S.

32°46′43″N79°56′14″W / 32.7785°N 79.9372°W / 32.7785; -79.9372
CampusOld Trolley Barn
American College of the Building Arts Logo.jpg

American College of the Building Arts (ACBA) is a private, four-year liberal arts and sciences college located in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. It is licensed by the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education to grant a Bachelor of Applied Science and an Associate of Applied Science in six craft specializations in the building arts.

Contents

The college's model focuses on total integration of a liberal arts and science education and the traditional building arts skills. Students choose from among six craft specializations: timber framing, architectural carpentry, plaster, classical architecture, blacksmithing and stone carving.

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

Current students come from more than 30 states. One quarter of the student body is female and one fifth are veterans. The majority of students have secured employment in their respective trades prior to graduation. [1]

American College of the Building Arts library interior American-College-of-the-Building-Arts-library.jpg
American College of the Building Arts library interior

Academics

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

American College of the Building Arts combines a traditional liberal arts education with programs in trade education that are based on European and other models. The framing and plaster programs are based on the French “les Compagnons du Devoir,” a trade guild offering high-skill vocational and educational training rich in culture and humanity. The stone program is based on programs at Lincoln Cathedral and Wells Cathedral in the United Kingdom. The iron program has a long association with Colonial Williamsburg and also with the work of Philip Simmons, famed Charleston ironwork artisan and one of the founders of ACBA. Pieces designed and made by Simmons are displayed at the Smithsonian Institution, South Carolina State Museum and outside the United States in France and China. In addition to trade-specific classes, students pursue a course of general studies that includes not only typical college courses, such as English and mathematics, but also specialized courses in drawing, design, materials science and construction management. ACBA maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio to ensure the highest standards of quality in its programs. [1]

American College of the Building Arts freshman math class American College of the Building Arts freshman math class.JPG
American College of the Building Arts freshman math class

The Byrne-Diderot Library is a major research resource for students and faculty. The library houses a specialized collection of books, periodicals, newspapers and audiovisual materials in the building, visual, decorative and liberal arts. The library's main collection contains over 6.500 items. The D.A.R. Special Collections room contains another 500 rare books, catalogs and periodicals, as well as examples of historical tools and 19th century Charleston iron work.

In 2019 the founding Dean Simeon A. Warren was awarded the Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Governor's award in recognition of outstanding contributions to the arts in South Carolina in the category of Art's Education. In 2020 the board formally recognized Warren as Dean Emeritus.

Media

ACBA has been featured on This Old House , [2] Forbes, [3] Garden & Gun , [4] Voice of America, [5] Worth, [6] Wolverine Boots, [7] White House Chronicle, [8] and PBS NewsHour [9]

Campus history

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

American College of the Building Arts first classes were offered at several different locations in and around the city of Charleston, including the Old Charleston District Jail, which became the college's primary location for 17 years. Carpentry and forged architectural iron programs were housed at a separate site. The Jail was originally constructed in 1802 and expanded in 1855 to include living quarters for the warden and jailers on the street side and an octagonal rear wing. Many infamous inmates were housed in the prison, including high seas pirates, the female mass murderer Lavinia Fischer and Denmark Vesey, a free African American who plotted a slave rebellion that was discovered before it could be executed. During the Civil War both Confederate and Union prisoners were incarcerated within its walls. Although it had no electricity or running water, the jail housed prisoners until it was decommissioned in 1939. [10]

American College of the Building Arts ground breaking of the Old Charleston Trolley Barn on May 7, 2015 Groundbreaking with Mayor Riley.jpg
American College of the Building Arts ground breaking of the Old Charleston Trolley Barn on May 7, 2015

During the years spent occupying and renovating the jail, the college viewed itself as caretaker of the building and its rich history. As part of ACBA's living learning laboratory, faculty members led students in assessing needs and proper methods of restoration, preservation and reconstruction. [11]

In September 2018, the college received national accreditation from the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges.[ citation needed ]

Additional programs

A diverse lineup of evening courses was introduced to the public beginning in the fall of 2017, including AutoCAD, interior design and history of Charleston architecture. In January 2018, ACBA initiated intensive one-week courses in areas such as sculptural blacksmithing, decorative woodcarving, furniture restoration, furniture design and stained glass. In the Fall of 2018, the school added an undergraduate major in classical architecture and design.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of North Carolina at Greensboro</span> Public university in Greensboro, North Carolina, US

The University of North Carolina at Greensboro is a public research university in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina system. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate, master's, specialist, and doctoral degrees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morgan State University</span> Public historically black university in Baltimore, Maryland, US

Morgan State University is a public historically black research university in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the largest of Maryland's historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). In 1890, the university, then known as the Centenary Biblical Institute, changed its name to Morgan College to honor Lyttleton Morgan, the first chairman of its board of trustees and a land donor to the college. It became a university in 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clemson University</span> Public university in Clemson, South Carolina, U.S.

Clemson University is a public land-grant research university near Clemson, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university by enrollment in South Carolina. For the fall 2023 semester, the university enrolled a total of 22,875 undergraduate students and 5,872 graduate students, and the student/faculty ratio was 15:1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medgar Evers College</span> Public college in New York City

Medgar Evers College is a public college in New York City. It is a senior college of the City University of New York (CUNY), offering baccalaureate and associate degrees. It was established in 1970 in central Brooklyn. It is named after Medgar Wiley Evers, an African American civil rights leader assassinated on June 12, 1963.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pratt Institute</span> Private university in Brooklyn, New York, US

Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York. It has a satellite campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The school was founded in 1887 with programs primarily in engineering, architecture, and fine arts. Comprising six schools, the institute is primarily known for its programs in architecture, graphic design, interior design, and industrial design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quincy University</span> Franciscan university in Quincy, Illinois, US

Quincy University (QU) is a private Franciscan college in Quincy, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1860, it has an enrollment of approximately 1,300 undergraduate and graduate students across five constituent schools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Marion University</span> Public university near Florence, South Carolina, US

Francis Marion University is a public university near Florence, South Carolina. It is named in honor of American Revolutionary War Brigadier General Francis Marion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bennett College</span> Historically black womens college in Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S.

Bennett College is a private historically black liberal arts college for women in Greensboro, North Carolina. It was founded in 1873 as a normal school to educate freedmen and train both men and women as teachers. Originally coed, in 1926 it became a four-year women's college. It is one of two historically black colleges that enroll only women, the other being Spelman College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Art school</span> Educational institution for visual arts

An art school is an educational institution with a primary focus on practice and related theory in the visual arts and design. This includes fine art – especially illustration, painting, contemporary art, sculpture, and graphic design. They may be independent or operate within a larger institution, such as a university. Some may be associated with an art museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cornell University College of Architecture, Art, and Planning</span> Architecture school of Cornell University

The College of Architecture, Art, and Planning (AAP) is the school of architecture at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. It offers 20 undergraduate and graduate degrees in five departments: architecture, art, urban planning, real estate, and design technology. Aside from its main campus in Ithaca, AAP offers programs in Rome, Italy and in New York City, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charleston Southern University</span> Baptist university in North Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.

Charleston Southern University (CSU) is a private university in North Charleston, South Carolina, United States. It is affiliated with the South Carolina Baptist Convention.

A Bachelor of Architecture (BArch) is a bachelor's degree designed to satisfy the academic requirement of practising architecture around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodbury University</span> Private university in Burbank, California, US

Woodbury University is a private university in Burbank, California. Founded in 1884 with initial campuses in Downtown and Central Los Angeles, Woodbury University is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in Southern California. The university consists of four schools: the School of Business, the School of Architecture, the School of Liberal Arts, and the School of Media Culture & Design. It has been a subsidiary of University of Redlands since 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Andrews University (North Carolina)</span> Presbyterian university in Laurinburg, North Carolina, US

St. Andrews University is a private Presbyterian university in Laurinburg, North Carolina. It was established in 1958 as a result of a merger of Flora MacDonald College in Red Springs and Presbyterian Junior College; it was named St. Andrews Presbyterian College from 1960 until 2011 when the college changed its name to St. Andrews University. That same year, it merged with Webber International University of Babson Park, Florida. It is also home to the St. Andrews Press. In 2013, St. Andrews added its first graduate program, an MBA in business administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston Architectural College</span> Architectural college in Boston, Massachusetts, USA

The Boston Architectural College (BAC) is a private college in Boston. It is New England's largest private college of spatial design. The college's main building is at 320 Newbury Street in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SVKM's NMIMS</span> University in Mumbai, India

Shri Vile Parle Kelavani Mandal's Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies is a private deemed university located in Mumbai. It has 17 constituent schools that offer both undergraduate and postgraduate courses in management, engineering, commerce, pharmacy, architecture, economics, mathematical sciences, hospitality, science, law, aviation, liberal arts, performing arts, architecture & design. It is accredited by NAAC with 3.59 CGPA and Grade A+. NMIMS was also awarded Category I University status by MoE.

The University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) is a private, non-sectarian university in Cebu City, Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning</span> Academic college in Muncie, Indiana, U.S.

The R. Wayne Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning, commonly referred to as CAP, is one of seven academic colleges of Ball State University based in Muncie, Indiana, with a satellite facility in Indianapolis. The college offers degrees in architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, historic preservation, urban design, construction management, and interior design. CAP was established in 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Far Eastern University</span> Private university in Manila, Philippines

Far Eastern University, also referred to by its acronym FEU, is a private research non-sectarian university in Manila, Philippines. Created by the merger of Far Eastern College and the Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance, FEU became a university in 1934 during the term of its first president, Nicanor Reyes Sr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia Tech College of Architecture and Urban Studies</span>

The College of Architecture, Arts, and Design formerly the College of Architecture and Urban Studies at Virginia Tech consists of four schools, including the School of Architecture, which consistently ranks among the best in the country. Headquartered in Blacksburg, Virginia, the college also has sites in Alexandria, Virginia, and Riva San Vitale, Switzerland. Spread out among these three locations, the college consists of nearly 2,200 students, making it one of the largest schools of architecture in the nation.

References

  1. 1 2 "ACBA Student Catalog". Issuu. Retrieved Dec 1, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Demo Time | The Charleston Houses 2018". This Old House. Apr 5, 2018. Retrieved Dec 1, 2020.
  3. ↑ Pfister, Tom. "American College Of The Building Arts Earns Accreditation Accolade". Forbes. Retrieved Dec 1, 2020.
  4. ↑ "A Class By Itself: Charleston's American College of the Building Arts". Garden & Gun. Retrieved Dec 1, 2020.
  5. ↑ "College Students Learn Ancient Craft to Rebuild Historic Charleston, SC | Voice of America - English". www.voanews.com. Retrieved Dec 1, 2020.
  6. ↑ "The Charleston College Where You Can Major in Masonry - Worth .com". Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved Dec 1, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Project Bootstrap 2017: Closing the Skills Gap". YouTube .
  8. ↑ "The New Education — Chisels, Hammers, Saws and Dickens". White House Chronicle. Apr 6, 2018. Retrieved Dec 1, 2020.
  9. ↑ "This unusual Charleston college produces educated artisans". PBS NewsHour. Sep 9, 2020. Retrieved Dec 1, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Old Jail". Archived from the original on 2008-01-05.
  11. ↑ "Preservation Magazine | National Trust for Historic Preservation".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.