My Stint in Jail

Got your attention, huh? I recently was able to tour the old Charleston jail downtown which presently serves as part of the campus for The American College of the Building Arts. It is so fascinating! Unfortunately, most of the students were away studying for mid-terms but I was able to get inside to see their workshops.

Sometimes students will sketch out designs from historical landmarks to recreate for practice and sometimes people commission them for their homes, businesses or preservation projects.

The main areas of study are Carpentry, Architectural Stone, Plasterworking, Forged Ironwork, Masonry and Timber Framing. Here are some images from the workshops that I was able to see on my tour.

Plasterworking

Architectural Stone

Masonry

Ironwork

If you are interested in learning more about The American College of the Building Arts, please visit their website. It is an amazing program promoting the education of the next generation of building artisans and preserving the building arts in a manner never before seen in America. And if you are local, you should check out their festival on March 19 and you must attend their annual RED Party held around Halloween...it is a super FUN event benefiting the school.

And please don't forget to send me photos of either interesting architectural details that you have used in your home/design projects OR old architectural pieces/elements that you have incorporated into your home/design projects. I will be featuring your photos on my blog and selecting a winner at random to receive one of my favorite books, For The Love of Old by Mary Randolph Carter. Please submit all photos to me sidney@eclectic-idg.com by Friday, March 11 (that's tomorrow folks!).