Creative Ways of Staying Afloat in Hard Times
By Peg Eastman
Launching a college is a major achievement in the best of times. Surmounting the myriad of challenges during an economic downturn is almost impossible. Yet that is exactly what the American College of the Building Arts is working to achieve under the leadership of its new president, Lieutenant General Colby Broadwater.
One of the college’s recent innovations is the initiative to start engaging the community in their building arts programs. Starting in January, the college will admit those with experience in the traditional building crafts who want to participate in academic classes or the hands-on workshops. Next summer College of Charleston students who have already shared classes with the college will be able to participate in hands-on workshops. In the fall of 2010 all courses will be open to the public on a space-available basis.
Community involvement brings Charleston back to its origins when skilled builders and artisans were in high demand. Called “mechanics” they comprised roughly twenty percent of the local population. Although many colonial craftsmen came from Europe, some were home grown.
The college has capitalized on its long association with the highly acclaimed Charleston blacksmith Philip Simmons. Dr. Ade Ofunniyin, Simmons’ grandson, has just accepted the position of college provost. Ofunniyin resigned from his teaching position at the University of Florida to return to his roots, for as a youth, he had been given the opportunity to learn blacksmithing at his grandfather’s forge. He brings to the school that happy combination of being able to work with his hands and use his head.
For many years skilled craftsmen were an integral part of the city’s growth. But quality design and craftsmanship training had been steadily declining throughout the nation as technology gradually displaced traditional construction practices. The College of the Building Arts was conceived after Hurricane Hugo hit Charleston in 1989 and severely damaged many of the city’s historic buildings. It was discovered that, with few exceptions, master craftsmen of the building traditions were no longer were available locally, and Charlestonians had to import skilled craftsmen to repair their beautiful historic homes.
Mayor Joseph Riley, the late preservationist Nancy Hawk, Pierre Manigault, John Paul Huguley, and others circulated the idea of creating a college to address the national lack of master craftsmen. It took fourteen years for the idea to come to fruition. A Board of Directors was formed, and money was gradually raised through the Board’s efforts and the assistance of a $2, 750,000 start-up grant from the U. S. Department of Labor.
An excellent academic curriculum was set up by Dean Simeon Warren and the faculty. The college offers a four-year liberal arts education with majors in one of six building arts: stone, iron, masonry, timber framing, carpentry and plaster. The South Carolina Commission of Higher Education licensed the school to begin recruiting in July 2004.
While General Broadwater was on active duty as Chief of Staff of U. S. European Command, a board member asked him to join the Board of Directors, but his job was too demanding for him to accept even though he was extremely interested.
It was an astute invitation, for General Broadwater has strong Lowcountry roots, extensive management experience, and a heart for preservation. Son of an Army officer, young Colby’s parents bought a home in Columbia to be near family while his father served in Vietnam. This military background gave the youth a desire to attend The Citadel and become part of our nation’s armed forces. General Broadwater went on to serve in field artillery for the next thirty-four years. He is married to Jane Mason from Summerville, and wanting to be back in Charleston, they bought a downtown home in 1992.
Shortly after his retirement in 2007, the Broadwaters were visiting Charleston for Thanksgiving. The general stopped by the college and was impressed with the passion of both the faculty and the student body. Realizing how important the school’s efforts were to the American preservation and craft movement, he decided to join the Board of Directors. It was not long before Pierre Manigault approached General Broadwater about becoming the College’s president. He accepted and started a new career on April 15,, 2008.
At that time the college rented classroom and shop space at the former Navy Base, owned a plantation on James Island and the Old Charleston District Jail in downtown Charleston. Neither the Jail nor McLeod Plantation were being used, and the non-productive real estate was a huge financial liability to the fledgling college.
One of the first actions General Broadwater took was to reduce overhead. By changing numerous business practices, the College has slashed its operating budget thirty percent. With the active support of Mayor Riley and City Council, the College was able to borrow money from the city; the loan required them to sell McLeod Plantation to the Historic Charleston Foundation. That loan has been repaid. In addition, the college left the facilities at the former navy base in August 2008.
The Old City Jail had been unoccupied for 61 years when the College acquired it from the City of Charleston in 2000. Part of the “Save America’s Treasures” project of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, it is an impressive structure, designed in part by Robert Mills, America’s first native-born architect. The jail had suffered in the 1886 earthquake; the ensuing brick and concrete restorations caused structural problems. The building needed an immediate stabilization program.
Making the jail habitable was a major undertaking. It had neither electricity nor plumbing and needed extensive repairs. The Board took advantage of a $500,000 grant that had been awarded during the Clinton administration and used other development funds to acquire the requisite certificate of occupancy. The school now has most of its classes and administrative offices in the Old Jail.
The wood and iron programs were relocated from the Navy Base to a nearby James Island facility. With the assistance of Mayor Riley and City Council, The College has also acquired Charleston’s 1897 trolley barn, an unused historic building that in the future will provide a hands-on laboratory for the students and space for all of the college’s programs.
In spite of an excellent academic program, the college has not been accredited because it lacks sustained financial backing. The first class of students graduated this year on May 2 in Washington Park. Achieving this milestone is another step towards becoming accredited. Increasing the student body to 140 will make the American College for the Building Arts self-sustaining.
After the article in the September-October issue of Preservation magazine, the college has already received well over 80 applications for admissions packets for 2010. Unfortunately, many will not be able to obtain student loans or grants because of the lack of accreditation. The college continues to work hard on the accreditation process in order to assist students and families obtain financial assistance and to ensure their degrees are recognized in the education world.
Through a lot of community effort, the college was awarded stimulus funding, but this income stream has yet to be realized. The College has managed to sustain its operations through creative fund-raising efforts and the financial support of people who believe in what it is trying to accomplish. In the past year and a half, they have held two highly successful fund raisers and conducted an annual appeal. With new approaches, they have actively raised more money than before the current economic crisis surfaced. But more income is still needed.
The school is pursuing non-traditional ways to improve its cash flow. Instead of limiting hands-on training to the college campus, students designed and created a customized carved stone mantle surround and an intricate wrought iron stair rail that were later installed in home on John’s Island. They built a wooden stair case for a new home in Mount Pleasant and recreated an old-fashioned store front in Lake City for a project sponsored by Darla Moore. This real-world experience with customers will prove invaluable once students leave the protective environment of the classroom.
Anyone interested in supporting the college’s preservation efforts or wishing to enroll in its classes should contact its Director of Admissions, Rosie Such at HYPERLINK "http://www.buildingarts" www.buildingartscollege.us.
Draft by Margaret M. R. Eastman—December 12, 2009
