The American College of the Building Arts (ACBA)
Mission of the ACBA
edit"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 education."
Purpose
editThe need for master artisans rose after Hurricane Hugo hit in Charleston, SC. The Hurricane severely damages historic buildings located in Downtown Charleston. The town's preservationists concerns over maintaining the historical integrity and the high cost of importing master artisans to restore the buildings to their proper form turned into a demand for South Carolina's own artisans. The plan for a school took years before a board could be organized. Even after the Board of Trustees for the College of the Building Arts could allocate funds, the college could not come to fruition without the $2,750,000 start-up grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. The curriculum of specialized learning is in the fields of Masonry, Carpentry, Iron Working, Timber Framing, Plaster, and Stone.
History
editHurricane Hugo, a category 5 hurricane formed September 9th,hit the shore of Charleston, South Carolina in 1989. The eye of the storm was located over Charleston Harbor. Flooding of downtown Charleston, Daniel Island, and the Barrier Islands damaged the oceanfront. The Charleston area however, suffered most heavily from wind damage before the Hugo dissipated on September25th, 1989. Damage from Hurricane Hugo in South Carolina was estimated at "$4.2 billion (1989 USD, $7.87 billion 2012 USD)"
^ "Hurricane Hugo Today Would Cause $20 Billion in Damage in South Carolina". South Carolina Insurance News Service. 2009-09-22. Retrieved January 26, 2010.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Hugo#South_Carolina http://www.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/hurricanes/articles/hurricane-historical-hurricanes-hugo_2010-06-01 http://www.hurricanescience.org/history/storms/1980s/hugo/
Buildings
editOld Charleston Jail
Completed in 1802, this building is located in the heart of Charleston. Acquired by the College of Building in Arts in 2000, it serves as the school's campus after a vacancy of 61 years. The damage to the building over time created a need for immediate repair. Preservation efforts on the building have been ongoing since 2000 to keep the campus from further deterioration.
The Trolley Barn, Otherwise known as the Charleston City Railway Car House located on Upper Meeting Street. Originally constructed in 1897 as a horse drawn trolley system was then used as a bus system until the 1960's. The ACBA has begun forming plans to house their Trade Program in the building, once it is renovated for modern use.
http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20090725/PC1602/307259945
James Island Workshop
The workshop, located at 1725 Signal Point Road on James Island, serves as the college's current building for Carpentry, Timber Framing, and Architectural Metal Programs.
Academics
editThe school follows the four year, full-time undergraduate program. Students are assigned an adviser at the beginning of the freshman year and expected maintain GPA of 2.0. In order to become a well-trained artist, students are required to do three summer internships, and each internship takes 8 to 10 weeks. On the Freshman and Sophomore years students learn foundation skills and in their junior and senior years, students focus their skills on chosen fields. The students are required to choose which trade they want to pursue on their sophomore year. The college's academic programs follow on a semester calendar, which starts in the early August and ends in May.
"Academics - The American College of the Building Arts." The American College of the Building Arts. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. http://www.buildingartscollege.us/Academics/academics.html
President of the college
editLt. General (Ret.) Colby M. Broadwater, III has an education consisting of an MD in International Relations from the Naval War College, a BA in History from The Citadel, and another MD in International Relations from Salve Regina University. His previous employment history includes: Chief of Staff-U.S. European Command, Commander of The First U.S. Army, and Chief of Staff-United States Army. Colby is currently employed as President to both the American College of the Building Arts and Trolley Barn College.
http://www.zoominfo.com/#!search/profile/person?personId=115489662&targetid=profile http://www.buildingartscollege.us/About/faculty-staff.html
Philip Simmons
editPhilip Simmons was born on June 9, 1912, in Wando on Daniel Island. There he was raised by his grandparents. When he was 8, Philip went to live with his mother on Vernon Street, South Carolina and shortly after he enrolled in his first class at Buist School. He is one of the most celebrated Charleston iron-workers in the 20th Century. he learned all he knew of blacksmithing from a local smith by the name of Peter Simmons(no relation) Peter Simmons ran a shop at the base of Calhoun Street.
By 1938, Simmons fashioned more than five hundred decorative pieces of wrought iron such as: window grills, fences, balconies, and gates . You can find many of his peices decorating Charleston from end to end. Simmons' art is still practiced by his apprentices, Carlton Simmons (nephew) and Joseph “Ronnie” Pringle (cousin).
http://www.philipsimmons.us/aboutsimmons.html http://www.buildingartscollege.us/About/board.html
Admission
editThe admission to the school requires the applicant's high school/ college transcript, their high school diploma, an application fee of $50, an essay of 300-500 words, portfolio which shows the student ability on artistic abilities, and a personal interview. Applicants' official SAT/ACT score must be sent directly from the testing agency. Home-school students are also accepted, excused from the absence of materials for normal applicants. Candidates who submit General Educational Development must be at least 18 years old. The college accepts applicants for both full-time and part-time student enrollment.
All applicants are required to have a minimum of the following high school courses:
English 4 Units, Math 3 Units, Science 2 Units, and Social Science 3 Units
Application for admission: The admission form is accessible from the school's registration office, or its official website. All application's are a one-time process with a charge of $50.
"Admissions - The American College of the Building Arts." The American College of the Building Arts. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. http://www.buildingartscollege.us/Admissions/admissions.htm
Tuition & Fees
editThe full-time fee for the 2011-2012 school year was $9936. For a part-time student the charge consisted of $828 per semester hour.
Financial Aid
editThe college offers loans and scholarships that add up to a decent amount of financial aid, however it depends on the performance of the students.
Locations
editOld Charleston Jail Campus-21 Magazine Street Charleston, South Carolina 29401
James Island Campus- 1725 Signal Point Road Charleston, SC 29412
Student Life/Community
editThe Student Guild, established March 4th, 2009, is for students of the ACBA to have a direct connection to trade guilds and businesses run by alumni. The president Will McSwain is a timber framer of class 2013. He is followed by guild representatives Emily Gillett, an architectural plaster worker and Preservation Mason, Dom Franceschi, a carpenter of class 2014, and representative Kim Bridges, a forged architectural iron-worker of class 2014.
License
editThe College is licensed by the South Carolina Commission of Higher Education, in providing the degrees of Associate of Applied Science in the Building Arts and Bachelor of Applied Science in the Building Arts. http://www.buildingartscollege.us/About/licensure.html
Bibliography
edit"History of the College - The American College of the Building Arts." The American College of the Building Arts. N.p., 2012. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. http://www.buildingartscollege.us/About/history.html
"Mission - The American College of the Building Arts." The American College of the Building Arts. N.p., 2012. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. http://www.buildingartscollege.us/About/mission.html
Charlotte, the time it reached. "Hurricane Hugo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Hugo#South_Carolina
Hurricane: Hurricane Hugo in South Carolina, 1989 - weather.com." National and Local Weather Forecast, Hurricane, Radar and Report. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. http://www.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/hurricanes/articles/hurricane-historical-hurricanes-hugo_2010-06-01
Hurricanes: Science and Society: 1989- Hurricane Hugo." Hurricanes: Science and Society: Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. http://www.hurricanescience.org/history/storms/1980s/hugo/
Slade, David. "College to bring new life to historic old barn." The Post and and Courier. N.p., 25 July 2009. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. www.postandcourier.com/article/20090725/PC1602/307259945
Slade, David. "College to bring new life to historic old barn." The Post and and Courier. N.p., 25 July 2009. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20090725/PC1602/307259945
"Business Profiles and Company Information | ZoomInfo.com." Business Profiles and Company Information | ZoomInfo.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. http://www.zoominfo.com/#!search/profile/person?personId=115489662&targetid=profile
"The American College of the Building Arts." The American College of the Building Arts. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. http://www.buildingartscollege.us/About/faculty-staff.html
"License & Accreditation - The American College of the Building Arts." The American College of the Building Arts. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. http://www.buildingartscollege.us/About/licensure.html