College of Charleston Student Activities Building/Gymnasium – Charleston SC

City:
Charleston, SC

Site Type:
Colleges and Universities, Education and Health, Gymnasiums

New Deal Agencies:
Federal Works Agency (FWA), Public Works Funding, Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works

Started:
1938

Completed:
1940

Designers:
Albert Simons (Simons & Lapham), Samuel Lapham (Simons & Lapham)

Quality of Information:
Very Good

Marked:
Yes

Site Survival:
Extant

Description

On 27 October 1937, the Radcliffe-King House was pulled down for the new College of Charleston Student Activities Building/Gymnasium building.

The new building was funded by the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works, and was designed by Simons & Lapham, a well known Charleston, South Carolina architectural firm, which participated in may New Deal projects. The building included some rooms for dorms for out of county basketball players who attended the    College of Charleston. See Blevins (2001): https://livingnewdeal.org/wp-content/uploads/gravity_forms/5-1524db4e8f93549db7fec5d73ae429b8/2018/01/CofC-Gym-pages-98-101.pdf

In 1994-1995 the building was renovated. The gymnasium’s rubber basketball floor was removed for a modern floor, an indoor walking track was suspended from the ceiling, and the stage was reduced in height to accommodate the suspended track. It was renamed the Willard A. Silcox Physical Education and Health Center after a long time College of Charleston coach nicknamed the “Godfather of George Street.”

Samuel Lapham, a College of Charleston Alumnus spoke at the Dedication with “Greetings from the Alumni” as “president of the Alumni Association.” The dedication was at 4:30 on 4 January 1940.

For further information see Source Notes: Blevins (2001) “Documentation of the Architecture of Samuel Lapham and the Firm of Simons & Lapham.” https://livingnewdeal.org/wp-content/uploads/gravity_forms/5-1524db4e8f93549db7fec5d73ae429b8/2018/01/CofC-Gym-pages-98-101.pdf

Source notes

Blevins, Ernest Everett, Documentation of the Architecture of Samuel Lapham and the Firm of Simons & Lapham, SCAD Master of Fine Arts Thesis, 2001.

Blevins (2001, p. 98-101) excerpt: (https://livingnewdeal.org/wp-content/uploads/gravity_forms/5-1524db4e8f93549db7fec5d73ae429b8/2018/01/CofC-Gym-pages-98-101.pdf), accessed January 10, 2018.

Site originally submitted by Ernest Everett Blevins on January 10, 2018.

Location Info


24 George Street
Charleston, SC Charleston County

Location notes: Northwest corner of Meeting Street facing George Street in Charleston South Carolina.

Coordinates: 32.7867234, -79.92930469999999

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