Campus Center is a mixed-use development blending College, City, and private interests in the heart of downtown Charleston and the College of Charleston campus.  The project is comprised of approximately 500,000 square feet of living, retail, and parking space on just over two acres located between George Street, St. Philip Street and Liberty Street.  The primary challenge posed by the development of Campus Center was to design and blend a large scale mixed use development into the fabric of the City without overshadowing the historic charm of Charleston and the College of Charleston campus.  The project has been quite successful and well received by the community and College, and is a premier example of successful urban development in downtown Charleston that the City and other designers and architects identify as the model of vertical integration.

George Street Retail

Campus Center consists of three separate and distinct structures, and was completed in July 2007.  Along the north side of the project on George Street, ground level retail offers products and services to the students of the College of Charleston and also adds to the shopping vitality of the King St. retail district located just one-half block away.  The retail component is approximately 20,000 total square feet and includes four tenants anchored by a CVS drugstore at the corner of St. Philip and George Street.  The other tenants include a high-end grocery and specialty food store (Caviar & Bananas), a popular deli (Jimmy John’s), and a clothing boutique (House of Sage).

George Street Apartments

Located above the George Street retail space is student housing for 199 College of Charleston upperclassmen. The George Street Apartments is comprised of 55 separate apartment dwellings and targets older students by providing apartment-style living as an alternative to the typical dormitory experience.  Each upperclassmen apartment features a common social and kitchen area with private bedrooms extending off the central area with each having three to five bedrooms and one to two bathrooms.  The 95,000 square foot structure extends vertically with a central open-air courtyard.  As it is located across the street from the center of campus and close to most of Charleston’s retail and dining activity, this option for upperclassmen has proven to be effective in keeping these older students on campus rather than in rental houses and apartments off-campus throughout surrounding City neighborhoods.  As a result, students enjoy larger living space and a sense of independence while simultaneously centralizing students in pedestrian-friendly locations outside of the private and permanent residential sections of town.

The central structure of Campus Center houses a 500-space parking deck.  Flanked on the north side by the George Street retail/student apartments and on the south side by a student cafeteria and dormitory, the parking facility blends well into its surrounding structures.  Most importantly, the parking deck provides available parking for residential students while simultaneously offering parking for King Street shoppers and the public at-large. This particular deck also helps the City by removing student vehicles from on-street parking in the surrounding neighborhoods.

Cafeteria and Freshman Dormitory

The third structure that comprises Campus Center is the College of Charleston’s new, state-of-the-art cafeteria and freshman dormitory.  The cafeteria/dormitory is located on the corner of Saint Philip Street and Liberty Street on the south side of the project.  The ground level contains the cafeteria, known as “The Fresh Food Company.”  The cafeteria is 25,000 square feet and features an all-you-can-eat policy for every meal.  Students can choose from great exhibition cooking, rotating menus from around the globe, a culinary twist on old American favorites, pizza and pasta creations, made to order deli specials, freshly baked breads and desserts as well as a large salad bar. Serving three meals a day, seven days a week, Fresh Food Company offers convenience, variety and value at every meal for students and for the general public.

Located above the new cafeteria facility is the College’s Liberty Street Residence Hall that contains 102,500 heated square feet and includes 439 residential beds. Liberty Street is centrally located to most university buildings and is used to house freshmen during their first year in Charleston.  The six-story dorm features two separate two-level community rooms for studying and socializing. A game room and home theater is located on a balcony overlooking the community space. Security is provided through a multi-zone fire alarm system, digital security camera system, and a 24-hour security desk. Laundry facilities and study rooms are located on alternating floors throughout the dormitory. Each residential room is arranged “community style” with each bedroom housing two students with a small study room along with a bathroom that is shared by adjoining rooms.  Also, each grouping of rooms is provided a small refrigerator and microwave that are shared by occupants of the bedrooms. The Liberty Street Residence Hall was built with a specific purpose of enhancing the freshman experience by facilitating social and academic interaction among freshmen students while simultaneously providing a secure residential lifestyle.