cofcsam

Ill plug UP at the next Historic Preservation Club meeting. The URST program is pretty small, Id estimate about 50 students or so. The Preservation program is a good bit larger, but covers much of the same stuff. The Preservation degree is "Historic Preservation and Community Planning," so a lot of the planning material overlaps. The URST degree has a pretty in-depth Econ element to it (understandably). Preservation also has a pretty strong emphasis on design, with several studio classes offered/required. Ill be taking Urban Design Studio with Tim Keane (fmr. Chas Planning Dir., now private developer) next semester. [apologies to any former Urban Studies majors if I am completely wrong]

Go Cougars! Im actually from Charlotte. (Go Light Rail! ) Yo Burrito is across the street from Andolini's now, next to the old 52.5. YB's new digs are pretty slick and the margaritas are still just as good (and cheap). 52.5 moved to 561 King St. Sad to see it be displaced, but honestly it fits in with the hip-grunge upper King scene. The City Paper did a write up on it a few weeks ago. Also, anyone seen D'Allesandro's Pizza on the corner of St. Philip and Bogard? (you know, the place thats been up and coming for years but hasn't actually come up...) It probably wasn't friendly country for anyone who graduated more than 5 years ago, but this place honestly has some of the best pizza in town. The area hasn't been completely gentrified yet, and is still predominantly native Charlestonians, but a lot of students live up there now. Check it out, the City Paper did a write up on them too.

I agree, it is a great building and should not be demolished. This is the original BellSouth Building: Here are the pictures I promised! Here are a few photos of the new building projects on St. Philip St. Marion and Wayland Cato, Jr. Center for the Arts, corner of St. Philip and Calhoun (Francis Marion Hotel in the background) note: as painful as College Lodge is to look at, it actually has the biggest rooms on campus! St. Philip St. Project: Looking south from St. Philip and George (Upperclassman condo side) Looking east from St. Philip and George (Upperclassman condo side) Parking garage at about mid-block Looking back northward on St. Philip toward parking garage Looking east on Liberty St. (lowerclassman residence hall/cafeteria side) School of Education Building project, scheduled to open Spring 2007, corner of Wentworth and St. Philip North end of the building, the darker facade is original and used to be the Yo Burrito! that moved across the street (thank goodness). The middle of the building will remain open, presumably for the main entrance and some green space (sorry for the flip) Looking north on St. Philip from Wentworth (Note the EQ bolts!) Looking east on Wentworth from St. Philip (Andolini's, best pizza in town is on the far right) Thats the whole ball of wax!

I dont think Charleston will ever be a place very conducive to anything but low-profile building. Even the Addlestone Library-which has one of the largest footprints in the city-is pretty low-profile and isn't a sore thumb to the area. I think they are planning for something like a new student center or residence halls on the Calhoun block. As for the BellSouth Building, Im sure Historic Charleston will put up a fight once it is up for demolition. In "The Buildings of Charleston," published by the Historic Chas Foundation, it says that the BellSouth Building is one of the better designed office buildings in the city. That may be true from the outside, but the inside is a maze of dark, unventilated hallways, classrooms, and offices. [i was mainly talking about the building that is on the corner of Calhoun and Coming that is the building that BellSouth currently uses for offices.] Although Im sure that the building will run into the same issues as the Rivers Federal Building with the asbestos, etc. since it was built in the 40s and 50s. Pictures still coming soon...

I go to CofC and walk by the St. Philip St. projectS, Ill take some pictures and post some soon. ProjectS, you say? Yes thats right, they just recently broke ground on another project that is an addition to the arts center at the corner of Calhoun and St. P. The school refers to the larger project on St. Philip as the "George St. Project" since George is commonly known as the heart of campus. The George St project is set to be a large mixed-use complex with retail lining George and St. P, and dorms above them on the George St and Liberty St sides. In the middle will be a large parking garage (it is actually about 40+ spaces bigger than the old one on the site). As part of the land acquisition from the city, the College was also required to build a smaller parking garage on Queen St. btwn King and Archdale (St. Philip ext.). If youve been watching the BAR, youll know that the school is also struggling with the Board about conceptual approval of new construction of a science center on a site that is currently a large surface lot at the corner of Calhoun and Coming. FYI, the Campus Master Plan has plans for development of the entire block that fronts on Calhoun between St. P and Coming within the next 30 years. It sounds like a lot of building, but keep in mind that this is where the embarrassing concrete BellSouth building is currently. The school has also pledged to not buy any more homes in the area for College use.