1865 Dissolution of Confederacy @ Stark Mansion 1872
South Carolina Departure from Union @ Succsion Hill
Devestating Fires Reshape Abbeville
1890 RailRoad Boom Brings New Life and Industry
Secession Hill
Burt-Stark Mansion
Train Depot
Introduction: History and Founding
1758 Founding of Abbeville
1860
1865 Dissolution of Confederacy @ Stark Mansion 1872
South Carolina Departure from Union @ Succsion Hill
Devestating Fires Reshape Abbeville
1890 RailRoad Boom Brings New Life and Industry
Secession Hill
Burt-Stark Mansion
Train Depot
Introduction: History and Founding
1758 Founding of Abbeville
1860
1865 Dissolution of Confederacy @ Stark Mansion 1872
South Carolina Departure from Union @ Succsion Hill
Devestating Fires Reshape Abbeville
1890 RailRoad Boom Brings New Life and Industry
Secession Hill
Burt-Stark Mansion
Train Depot
Introduction: History and Founding
1758 Founding of Abbeville
1860
1865 Dissolution of Confederacy @ Stark Mansion 1872
South Carolina Departure from Union @ Succsion Hill
Devestating Fires Reshape Abbeville
1890 RailRoad Boom Brings New Life and Industry
Secession Hill
Burt-Stark Mansion
Train Depot
Introduction: History and Founding
1758 Founding of Abbeville
1860
1865 Dissolution of Confederacy @ Stark Mansion 1872
South Carolina Departure from Union @ Succsion Hill
Devestating Fires Reshape Abbeville
1890 RailRoad Boom Brings New Life and Industry
Secession Hill
Burt-Stark Mansion
Train Depot
Path to Today
1 / Sanborn Map of 1901 Abbeville
Town Square
2 / Existing Town Map
Belmont Hotel Opera House
Train Depot
Secession Hill
Burt-Stark Mansion
1/ City Court House
2/ Storefronts Along Square
Stories: Intervention
Voids: Vacancies and Utilitarian Infrustrcture
Site 1: Church St. Garage
Trinity Street is one of Abbeville’s more prominent roads, aligned with the historic Trinity Church and home to several restaurants and businesses. Despite its importance, it remains physically disconnected from the site. Students assigned to this group will design a highly detailed public passthrough to reestablish that connection.
Site 2: Server Station
There was once a pedestrian passthrough from this site to the town square, but it has since been replaced by commercial infill. Students in this group will restore that ground-floor connection while designing residential units for the second floor, helping to reknit the site into the urban fabric.
Site 3: Future Police Station
The corner of West Pickens Street has seen multiple attempts to establish successful ground-floor businesses, but sustained activity remains elusive. With the master plan as a guide, students in this group will explore various design solutions to revitalize the corner and ultimately propose a single, well-supported scheme.
Site 4: 101 Vacancy
An empty lot along West Pickens Street presents an opportunity to increase both commercial and residential density. Students will design a new mixed-use building that respects the context of the historic district while addressing current community needs. Special focus will be placed on selecting appropriate ground-floor programs that serve the local population.
Site 5: 113 Vacancy
An existing building attached to an abondoned garage. Designs for the garage have been started. It will be up to students to adapt to that design to the building next door or to propose a new solution. This site ties into the heart of the new development, with this being said a community ammenity will be an important feature of the design.
Site 6: 107 Vacancy
Students next semester will not only be under the guildance of the client and the professor, but they will have the opportunity
Voids Around Town Square
Site 1: Trinity Street Passthrough
Trinity Street is one of Abbeville’s more prominent roads, aligned with the historic Trinity Church and home to several restaurants and businesses. Despite its importance, it remains physically disconnected from the site. Students assigned to this group will design a highly detailed public passthrough to reestablish that connection.
Site 2: Main Street Passthrough and Residential Units
There was once a pedestrian passthrough from this site to the town square, but it has since been replaced by commercial infill. Students in this group will restore that ground-floor connection while designing residential units for the second floor, helping to reknit the site into the urban fabric.
Site 3: Pickens Corner Activation
The corner of West Pickens Street has seen multiple attempts to establish successful ground-floor businesses, but sustained activity remains elusive. With the master plan as a guide, students in this group will explore various design solutions to revitalize the corner and ultimately propose a single, well-supported scheme.
Site 4: New Mixed-Use Construction
An empty lot along West Pickens Street presents an opportunity to increase both commercial and residential density. Students will design a new mixeduse building that respects the context of the historic district while addressing current community needs. Special focus will be placed on selecting appropriate ground-floor programs that serve the local population.
Site 5: Church St. Ammenity
An existing building attached to an abondoned garage. Designs for the garage have been started. It will be up to students to adapt to that design to the building next door or to propose a new solution. This site ties into the heart of the new development, with this being said a community ammenity will be an important feature of the design.
Site 6: Hanbury 119 - Catalyst Community Development
Students next semester will not only be under the guildance of the client and the professor, but they will have the opportunity to design right along side Hanbury Design as the Clemson office works on this property to develop a proposal for a community event space.
Potential Sites for Students
Studio: Sites and Suggested Program
The goal of the studio will be to create a cohesive and convincing building designs and a master plan. The shared space is to be a community amenity that promotes and respects the business and residential units surrounding it and the history of the place. And while this will likely become a thoughtful and rigorous space in the far future. The situation as we learned is more urgent.
Community Leader and POC: Stoll Industries
the leaders behind this movement are Abbeville natives and business owners. Stoll industries is a metal fabricator that makes custom fireplaces, shelving, and outdoor casework. They employ around 80 people in Abbeville and are dedicated to giving back to the community. In our early talks with this group, we learned of more vacancies and opportunities being missed out on around the community.
Catalyst Community Development
Corporation:
Beautification Committee
Catalyst, a subsidiary of Stoll Industries, has played a key role in efforts to revitalize parts of downtown Abbeville. With strong ties to the community, Catalyst has helped shape conversations around what’s possible for the town’s future—lending support, insight, and a local perspective to ongoing revitalization efforts. with this group, we learned of more vacancies and opportunities being missed out on around the community.
Stoll lIndustries Work Shop
Tour of Facility
Community Leader and POC: Stoll Industries
the leaders behind this movement are Abbeville natives and business owners. Stoll industries is a metal fabricator that makes custom fireplaces, shelving, and outdoor casework. They employ around 80 people in Abbeville and are dedicated to giving back to the community. In our early talks with this group, we learned of more vacancies and opportunities being missed out on around the community.
Catalyst Community Development
Corporation:
Beautification Committee
Catalyst, a subsidiary of Stoll Industries, has played a key role in efforts to revitalize parts of downtown Abbeville. With strong ties to the community, Catalyst has helped shape conversations around what’s possible for the town’s future—lending support, insight, and a local perspective to ongoing revitalization efforts. with this group, we learned of more vacancies and opportunities being missed out on around the community.
Stoll lIndustries Work Shop
Tour of Facility
“there is no place to gather”
“In the past few months 4 resturants have closed”
“When companies come to town there is a lack of space to host”
Stories shared while walking around with owner group
“We miss out on a lot of opportunties. When people come to abbeville, Often they will stay in larger nearby towns”
“Abbeville needs more beds around the square”
“This building has gone through 3 different resturants...”
Church St. Garage: Stoll Industries
But among the stories we heard, one stood out as more hopeful. The ownership group had cleared overgrowth from the shared site behind the abandoned garage—and how that simple act caught the attention of neighbors and sparked genuine excitement. One neighboring restaurant even inquired about moving their ice cream shop into this garage.
It was motivating to hear. So we began to ask If something that small could generate interest, what small interventions could we do now—this summer—to spark and amplify that excitement further?
And whether by luck or fate, we found one...
1 / Garage at Beginning of Summer
2 / Alignment Through Garage
1 / Existing Town Map
Intervention: Design Elements
Design elements
1. Cosmetic Improvements
As the summer progressed, cosmetic improvements to the garage began. In the past few weeks, the garage has been cleaned out, the asphalt removed, and a coating of stucco was applied and is currently drying before the exterior and interior are painted.
2. Gesture to Alignment
As the gesture of the pass-through grew through the garage, different ways were explored to draw people through the doors via the ground plane. For the final design, a solution emerged that was of the place: a paved walkway encasing pavers that match the historic palette of the town square. This allowed not only a reference to the downtown context, but also a transition through the existing garage.
3. Fabricated Elements
These elements were not designed to be large, complex, or intricate but simple, digestible, and constructible parts that begin to not only transform the space but also help tell the story behind why, in a few weeks, there will be a pass-through in this garage to nowhere. These elements include a screen, a tree grate, an awning, benches, and model stands.
4. Messaging
The goal is that this space will be able to host the Clemson students final review next semester and their work will be on display for the community to engage with while the long term work takes shape in the site beyond.
Intervention: Design Elements
Design elements
1. Cosmetic Improvements
As the summer progressed, cosmetic improvements to the garage began. In the past few weeks, the garage has been cleaned out, the asphalt removed, and a coating of stucco was applied and is currently drying before the exterior and interior are painted.
2. Gesture to Alignment
As the gesture of the pass-through grew through the garage, different ways were explored to draw people through the doors via the ground plane. For the final design, a solution emerged that was of the place: a paved walkway encasing pavers that match the historic palette of the town square. This allowed not only a reference to the downtown context, but also a transition through the existing garage.
3. Fabricated Elements
These elements were not designed to be large, complex, or intricate but simple, digestible, and constructible parts that begin to not only transform the space but also help tell the story behind why, in a few weeks, there will be a pass-through in this garage to nowhere. These elements include a screen, a tree grate, an awning, benches, and model stands.
4. Messaging
The goal is that this space will be able to host the Clemson students final review next semester and their work will be on display for the community to engage with while the long term work takes shape in the site beyond.
Intervention: Design Elements
Design elements
1. Cosmetic Improvements
As the summer progressed, cosmetic improvements to the garage began. In the past few weeks, the garage has been cleaned out, the asphalt removed, and a coating of stucco was applied and is currently drying before the exterior and interior are painted.
2. Gesture to Alignment
As the gesture of the pass-through grew through the garage, different ways were explored to draw people through the doors via the ground plane. For the final design, a solution emerged that was of the place: a paved walkway encasing pavers that match the historic palette of the town square. This allowed not only a reference to the downtown context, but also a transition through the existing garage.
3. Fabricated Elements
These elements were not designed to be large, complex, or intricate but simple, digestible, and constructible parts that begin to not only transform the space but also help tell the story behind why, in a few weeks, there will be a pass-through in this garage to nowhere. These elements include a screen, a tree grate, an awning, benches, and model stands.
4. Messaging
The goal is that this space will be able to host the Clemson students final review next semester and their work will be on display for the community to engage with while the long term work takes shape in the site beyond.
Asphalt Stucco Cleaning
As part of the early site work, we’re removing the strip of asphalt directly in front of the garage. In its place, we’ll install sidewalk-style paving to soften the threshold and signal a more pedestrian-focused use. This small intervention helps shift the perception of the space—from a back-of-house service zone to a more intentional, walkable entry that invites people to pass through, linger, and engage.
We’re applying new stucco to areas of the garage where exposed CMU is currently visible. This gives the building a more cohesive and intentional appearance, tying it back into the surrounding material palette without hiding its utilitarian roots. The finish is simple and durable—meant to clean up the facade while still allowing the structure’s industrial character to come through.
The first step toward reclaiming the garage was clearing out the junk that had accumulated over the years—old furniture, scrap materials, and general clutter that had turned the space into a storage zone. Once emptied, the structure felt completely different. Light could move through it, its alignment became clear, and its potential as a shared space started to emerge. Sometimes, the biggest transformation comes just from getting rid of what doesn’t belong.
1- asphalt removal
2- stucco application
3 - clean out
4 - Garage as of 10th of July, 2025
Asphalt Stucco Cleaning
As part of the early site work, we’re removing the strip of asphalt directly in front of the garage. In its place, we’ll install sidewalk-style paving to soften the threshold and signal a more pedestrian-focused use. This small intervention helps shift the perception of the space—from a back-of-house service zone to a more intentional, walkable entry that invites people to pass through, linger, and engage.
We’re applying new stucco to areas of the garage where exposed CMU is currently visible. This gives the building a more cohesive and intentional appearance, tying it back into the surrounding material palette without hiding its utilitarian roots. The finish is simple and durable—meant to clean up the facade while still allowing the structure’s industrial character to come through.
The first step toward reclaiming the garage was clearing out the junk that had accumulated over the years—old furniture, scrap materials, and general clutter that had turned the space into a storage zone. Once emptied, the structure felt completely different. Light could move through it, its alignment became clear, and its potential as a shared space started to emerge. Sometimes, the biggest transformation comes just from getting rid of what doesn’t belong.
1- asphalt removal
2- stucco application
3 - clean out
4 - Garage with Future Paint
As the gesture of the passthrough grew through the garage we played with different ways we could draw people through the doors though the ground plane. For the final design we ended up with a solution that was of the place. A paved walkway encasing pavers matching the historic pallet in the town square. This solution allowed us to not only match the historic context of the downtown, but lets up blend the materials through the existing garage.
The pavers on the road of the downtown square are the original bricks laid in XXXX. At the time they were know as some of the finest paver stones in the United States.
Plan of Site Material
2 - Existing Pallete in Square
Intervention: Fabricated elements and Messaging
The screen was designed to form the space out front while allowing visibility of the gateway from down the street. Each panel points towards the opening. This area, due to its orientation receives a large amount of sunlight. The perforation on panels is a play on the shadows of the oak trees in the square and is unique on each panel. It was important for this more artistic piece to have a message behind it.
One that sheds light on Abbeville’s past while talking about the optimistic work ahead. On almost every day of the year, as afternoon light passes through the panels, a message will be spelled out on the ground. The message was writing in collaboration with the owners and reads, “what if / a passing shadow / in Abbeville / marked a step / towards a future / guided by quiet hope”.
Intervention: Fabricated elements and Messaging
An awning and tree grate share the same perforated patterning. The awning also adds to the messaging by casting the phrase, “what if” onto the ground. The physical projection out of the pass-through helps signal that this is a pedestrian entry.
1 - Awning Projecting
Intervention: Fabricated elements and Messaging
And finally, these elements serve two purposes. When assembled in a row, they can be connected to form a bench—allowing for a moment of pause as opposed to just pass-through. Integrated into the design is the ability to attach display boards to individual units, turning each one into a platform for student work, community ideas, or future proposals. Together, they create a flexible system that invites both rest and reflection.
Intervention: Phase 1
The hope is that by the time students are finished with their projects next semester, this space will be able to host their final review and display their work. And while the rest of the master plan is being worked on, people passing through will be able to view the possibilities for what lies beyond.
Results: Phase 2 - Ice Cream Shop
Abbeville is a small town, and while the design work progressed, word spread that something was happening at the garage and on the site beyond. The owners of the ice cream shop across the street heard about the project and emphasized their interest in being part of it. So, alongside the design for student displays and gathering space, plans also took shape for the possibility of the ice cream shop moving into the other half of the garage. And the owner group is working to secure funding for construction and design services.
