UofSC breaks ground on new School of Law building
September 26, 2014
COLUMBIA, SC – More than 400 law alumni, faculty and students gathered Friday (Sept. 26) to celebrate the ground breaking of a new home for the University of South Carolina’s School of Law that will open in 2017 during the school’s 150th anniversary year.
When completed, the new School of Law building, bounded by Gervais, Bull, Senate and Pickens streets, will anchor a legal corridor along the north edge of campus that will comprise the school’s Children’s Law Center, the National Advocacy Center and South Carolina’s Statehouse and Supreme Court.
The School of Law’s future success is based on its present momentum and its rich history,” University President Harris Pastides said. “Our new state of the art structure will anchor a new legal corridor in South Carolina and project a modern, sophisticated image which matches our great expectations.”
Stately in presence, the building will provide students with a learning environment that is modern, flexible and technologically advanced and that encourages collaboration and meets future needs.
Inspired by 19th-century South Carolina architect Robert Mills, the three-story building will feature a limestone and brick exterior. Its main entrance, located on Senate Street and flanked by limestone columns, will lead into a grand lobby. A large central courtyard will offer an inviting space for quiet outdoor study and social gatherings. The building’s learning spaces – classrooms and courtrooms – are designed to be flexible in size, configuration and furnishings in order to accommodate different styles of teaching and group study.
Its green design allows for the building’s interior to be swathed with natural light. A large two-story law library that overlooks the courtyard and includes a patio will feature modern compact shelving to maximize space for work and study.
School of Law Dean Robert Wilcox said the building promises to transform law education at the university and will reflect the school’s commitment to excellence in preparing students for careers in law and public service.
“From its classical exterior to its flexible interior, we’ve been so mindful of every aspect of the design of this building, ensuring it will continue to shape legal education and serve our state for generations to come,” Wilcox said.
The 187,500-square-foot building will incorporate the historic carriage house of the adjacent Taylor House for public functions.
Wilcox said it will provide a welcoming and professional environment for the more than 110 lawyers and judges who mentor law students and provide expertise through guest lectures, workshops and seminars. A versatile 300-seat ceremonial courtroom also will serve as an auditorium.
Not only will it give alumni a new home but the building will serve as a nexus for South Carolina’s legal community, he said.
“By 2017, the halls of the new building will come alive with students and faculty, lawyers and judges eager to research, study and learn, and in the case of the public, to receive the services of our clinics,” said Wilcox, who has served as dean of the law school since 2011.
The groundbreaking on the new building comes at an exciting juncture in the School of Law’s history. The state’s flagship law school is hiring new faculty, expanding its curriculum and refining its focus. Student success is evident through rising bar passage rates (first-time bar passage of nearly 90 percent in 2013) and job placement, with the school in the top 16 percent nationally in employment the last two years. And that has had a positive effect on the school’s ranking, which has climbed 16 spots since 2011 to 93 in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings. Current enrollment is approximately 630.
Alumni also are playing a role in the school’s success. This summer 1954 alumnus Jim Konduros, a longtime adviser to government officials and Fortune 500 businesses, made a $1.1 million gift to the school to provide students with scholarships, fellowships and leadership development. Earlier this month 1977 law graduate William Hubbard began his term as president of the American Bar Association.
In addition to Pastides and Wilcox, the groundbreaking ceremony also featured remarks by School of Law alumni Board of Trustees Chairman Eugene P. Warr Jr., Columbia City Councilwoman Tameika Isaac Devine, S.C. Chief Justice Jean H. Toal and Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Structural work on the $80 million law school is expected to begin in early 2015.
New Building Fact Sheet
Architects: The Boudreaux Group and SmithGroupJJR
Construction management: Gilbane Co.
Cost: $80 million
Estimated square footage: 187,500 square feet
Location: North edge of campus in the block bounded by Gervais, Bull, Senate and Pickens streets. The main entrance will be on Senate Street with another significant entrance on Gervais Street.
Construction timeline: Site preparation began in September. Structural work will begin by early 2015.
Scheduled opening: Fall 2017 during the 150th anniversary year of the school’s founding in 1867.
Design: Inspired by the style of 19th-century South Carolina architect Robert Mills, the three-story rectangular building — stately yet modern — will feature exterior limestone and brick. Limestone columns lining the Senate Street entrance will lead into a multi-story grand lobby. A large central courtyard will feature granite from the Central Correctional Institution, the state penitentiary from 1866 – 1994. A wide stairwell facing the east side of the courtyard will be a focal point, encouraging interaction and serving as the primary source of movement for students and faculty.
Special features: The building will feature approximately 20 classrooms, including two dedicated courtrooms and two flexible courtrooms that can be used for seminars. A 300-seat ceremonial courtroom, located off the lobby, also can serve as an auditorium and large classroom. Student service offices, a bookstore, an eatery and a student commons area for conversation and collaboration will be on the first level, adjacent the courtyard. Classrooms will comprise one wing, and another wing will be dedicated to a two-story law library that will feature modern compact shelving to maximize space for quiet study and to accommodate a large reading room with patio overlooking the courtyard and 20 group study rooms. Deans’ administrative offices will be on the second floor, with faculty offices located on the second and third floors. Designed for convenience and collaboration, offices for pro bono, Moot Court and Mock Trial teams, the Student Bar Association, the S.C. Law Review and law journals will be easily accessible to students and deans.
Sustainability: The project calls for Silver LEED certification in the building’s design, construction, operations and maintenance. Particularly noteworthy will be widespread natural light throughout the building and features that limit unwanted solar heating.
Technology: Classrooms will range in size and configuration, providing the maximum flexibility for different styles of teaching and for small and larger group study. In addition to configurable furnishings, the classrooms will be outfitted with sophisticated technology for instruction and student use. New technology also will be present in the four trial courtrooms and the ceremonial courtroom. Video display boards will be located throughout the building.
