Joseph Manigault House
Designed by gentleman architect Gabriel Manigault in 1803, this Federal-style residence is owned and run as a house museum by the Charleston Museum. Members of the fall 2009 investigation, conservation and documentation class performed a detailed analysis of the third floor of this Charleston icon.
This portion of the house is not open to the public and has undergone minimal restoration, offering first-year students the opportunity to conduct paint analysis, complete measured drawings and perform hands-on research into the history of the site.
Final presentations of students’ findings included a complete plan of the third floor and posters documenting the history of the site, paint sampling evidence and preservation practices at the house museum.
HABS: Charles E. Peterson Prize
Each year the program submits an application for the Peterson Prize sponsored by the Historic American Building Survey and the National Park Service. To compile these drawings students learn the skills required to accurately record historic structures. The process of measuring and carefully recording buildings is proven to be a very effective way to gain an understanding of historic construction, building fabric and design. It also provides an accurate record of American architectural heritage and the drawings produced become a part of the permanent HABS collection in the Library of Congress. While a systematic examination of buildings is labor intensive, it creates an academic database and provides a form of insurance if the buildings are later destroyed.
Students Meagan Baco, Jeremy Bradham, Laura Burghardt, Jessica Golebiowski, Sarah Kollar, Emily Martin, Bridget O’Brien, Matt Pelz, Meg Peters, Sarah Welniak and Chase Williston were awarded third place in the 2008 competition for the Charles E. Peterson Prize for their HABS measured drawings of the Farmers & Exchange Bank in Charleston, S.C.. This competition, in cooperation with the Athenaeum of Philadelphia and the American Institute of Architects, encourages excellence in documentation of historic buildings. Click here for complete F&E Bank drawings.
2009 Studio - Eternal Father of the Sea Chapel
The Eternal Father of the Sea Chapel at the old Charleston Navy base
was built in 1942 to serve the needs of on-site and visiting Navy
personnel. The building is significant for its historical association
with the base and its operations during World War II and the Cold War.
The chapel was last used in 2006 and suffers from maintenance neglect, significant termite damage and water infiltration. Without a major
intervention campaign, it will likely fall into ruin in the near
future. Clemson University's Restoration Institute (CURI) is currently
in the process of acquiring the building and the nearby area for use as
an educational campus focusing on solutions for sustainability, green
technology and conservation.
For
this project students prepared an historic structure report (HSR) on
the chapel followed by a feasibility study with the goal of providing
guidance and direction to CURI to help save, preserve and utilize the
building for a compatible future use. The HSR identified the historical
significance of the chapel and evaluated its character-defining
features, historical integrity and current condition. The HSR then
informed the preparation of a feasibility study that looked at possible
uses, a market analysis, legal and economic constraints, rehabilitation
costs and potential funding sources.
Full report (all links are PDF files):
- Executive summary (132 kb)
- Historic structure report (8.5 mb)
- Feasibility study (3.3 mb)
- Condition survey drawings (2 mb)
- Building drawings (320 kb)
Inventories
Historically, lists of items including a short description and estimated value, were completed at the time of one’s death. Using the resources available, students in the program’s advanced historic interiors class transcribe inventories from Charlestonians in the early nineteenth century. Inventories typically contain furniture, decorative objects, textiles, tools and other valued items. Each item in the inventory was researched to determine the possible appearance, use, value and location within the house.
Students also conducted biographical research in order to find out where the individual may have lived and what his or her house may have looked like. From this information, a floor plan was drawn and each item in the inventory “placed” in the proper location, based on research.
Students in this course have researched more than a dozen inventories from the 1800s, and there are plans to combine the information into an effective resource for future research.
