BUILDINGS ARE COOL

Stories about Architecture and Design. Charleston SC

Daily Dose of Charleston: Volume 3

May 8, 2016

How about a shout out to the mothers of the world! Happy Mother's Day!

And a special Happy Mother's Day to my mom Lucy and my stepmother Vickie. Love you both.

I will always owe my mom for putting art in my life at an early age. My mom is a great artist and she had me drawing with pencils, charcoal, pastels and all kinds of things when I was just a young pup.

No doubt this artistic encouragement lead me to architecture. Thanks Mom!

How about another daily dose?

I have been getting more and more intrigued by Instagram. It is definitely my favorite social media outlet. There are so many wonderful people capturing beautiful moments. And I have really gotten into photographing Charleston and the other places I visit.

I try to post at least one photo a day under #dailydoseofcharleston. This is a collection of some of my favorite daily doses since Volume 2.

If you are on Instagram I hope that we can connect. My instagram handle is buildingsarecool

Enjoy!

Best buds. #butcherandbee

Good morning from the Holy City. A look at a group of handsome buildings on East Bay Street.

Beautiful house at 27 State Street.

This little gem is right around the block from us in a little neighborhood called Catfiddle. By #newworldbyzantine.

Madewell.

One Horse Power

I always enjoy photographing the 492 Restaurant.

little store

Great sky tonight.

Feeling Blue.

Perspective.

Another beautiful day in the low country

My neck hurts. The Peoples Building.

Bar Mash at the Cigar Factory. #cigarchitecture

What a perfect day it was at 2nd Sunday on King.

Thank You!

Thank you again for taking the time to view my content. Please know that it means a lot.

Cheers!

Featured

The day it snowed in Charleston.

Jan 4, 2018

The day it snowed in Charleston.

Jan 4, 2018

Jan 4, 2018

Daily Dose of Charleston: Volume 4

Aug 22, 2016

Daily Dose of Charleston: Volume 4

Aug 22, 2016

Aug 22, 2016

Daily Dose of Charleston: Volume 3

May 8, 2016

Daily Dose of Charleston: Volume 3

May 8, 2016

May 8, 2016

Daily Dose of Charleston: Volume 2

Dec 3, 2015

Daily Dose of Charleston: Volume 2

Dec 3, 2015

Dec 3, 2015

12 Storefronts of King Street: Part 2

Aug 5, 2015

12 Storefronts of King Street: Part 2

Aug 5, 2015

Aug 5, 2015

Daily Dose of Charleston: Volume 1

Jun 18, 2015

Daily Dose of Charleston: Volume 1

Jun 18, 2015

Jun 18, 2015

Modern Charleston : 12 Buildings

May 20, 2015

Modern Charleston : 12 Buildings

May 20, 2015

May 20, 2015

12 More Gates of Charleston

May 7, 2015

12 More Gates of Charleston

May 7, 2015

May 7, 2015

Welcome to BUILDINGS ARE COOL!

Hello, my name is Steve Ramos. This site is about what it's like to be a young architect in Charleston, South Carolina. In 10 years, I will write about what it is like to be a middle-age architect.

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No guts, no glory!

about 6 months ago

The day it snowed in Charleston.

The day it snowed in Charleston.

about 6 months ago

Searching for that Eureka Moment

Searching for that Eureka Moment

about 8 months ago

Instagram Feed

Good morning from 217 Ashley Avenue! This house sits pretty grand at the corner of Ashley and Cannon. Always very photogenic. Another one where I couldn’t decide which picture is best: the angles shot or the straight on elevation. Thoughts? This property has created quite the controversy in the neighborhood. The owner has made several attempts to change the zoning to a commercial designation so that the property could be an event venue or #airbnb property. The owner argues that the property is too big for a single-family residence and that they have been unable to sell it because of that and that there is too much commercial activity in the area. This may be true, but the real reason is that the property is worth a considerable amount more as a short-term rental hotel than as a single unit. The short-term rental income would be 3-4 times what the mortgage would be or what they could get renting long term. This is true of any downtown property. The neighborhood is concerned that the commercial designation opens this property up to a myriad of commercial uses and that an event venue would be disruptive to the hood. Both sides are right. Hmmmm.....

Good morning from 217 Ashley Avenue! This house sits pretty grand at the corner of Ashley and Cannon. Always very photogenic. Another one where I couldn’t decide which picture is best: the angles shot or the straight on elevation. Thoughts? This property has created quite the controversy in the neighborhood. The owner has made several attempts to change the zoning to a commercial designation so that the property could be an event venue or #airbnb property. The owner argues that the property is too big for a single-family residence and that they have been unable to sell it because of that and that there is too much commercial activity in the area. This may be true, but the real reason is that the property is worth a considerable amount more as a short-term rental hotel than as a single unit. The short-term rental income would be 3-4 times what the mortgage would be or what they could get renting long term. This is true of any downtown property. The neighborhood is concerned that the commercial designation opens this property up to a myriad of commercial uses and that an event venue would be disruptive to the hood. Both sides are right. Hmmmm.....

Good morning from Felix Street! I mentioned a few weeks ago how I am drawn to buildings that are 3 windows wide. The proportions just seem to always work. And here is another great example. This one also does something else well: It is simple. Simple requires balance and harmony. Simple requires rigor and constraint. Simple requires reduction and refinement. Simple can actually be harder to design than the complex. Here’s to a simple Friday! #dailydoseofcharleston

Good morning from Felix Street! I mentioned a few weeks ago how I am drawn to buildings that are 3 windows wide. The proportions just seem to always work. And here is another great example. This one also does something else well: It is simple. Simple requires balance and harmony. Simple requires rigor and constraint. Simple requires reduction and refinement. Simple can actually be harder to design than the complex. Here’s to a simple Friday! #dailydoseofcharleston

Good morning from the coolest office space in town: @boomtownroi ! The folks at Boomtown were kind enough to host our @ulisouthcarolina Meeting last night. I have to give props to my colleagues at @ls3p for designing this killer space. This is a great example of an #adaptivereuse project as this was a former warehouse space that was transformed into a tech office space. Of course I love the colors and that wild light fixture kicks ass! I want to work here! Any other great office spaces in Charleston I should check out?

Good morning from the coolest office space in town: @boomtownroi ! The folks at Boomtown were kind enough to host our @ulisouthcarolina Meeting last night. I have to give props to my colleagues at @ls3p for designing this killer space. This is a great example of an #adaptivereuse project as this was a former warehouse space that was transformed into a tech office space. Of course I love the colors and that wild light fixture kicks ass! I want to work here! Any other great office spaces in Charleston I should check out?

Good morning from East Bay Street! The pair of buildings on the left always catch my eye. They appear to be sister buildings but it is really the yellow paint that makes them seem more the same than they really are. Maybe cousins would be more appropriate? Another cool thing about these buildings are that they flank unity alley. For the #foodies out there, one of our favorite restaurants @minerochs is shown on the right side of the image. Awesome #texmex Where is your favorite texmex or Mexican joint?

Good morning from East Bay Street! The pair of buildings on the left always catch my eye. They appear to be sister buildings but it is really the yellow paint that makes them seem more the same than they really are. Maybe cousins would be more appropriate? Another cool thing about these buildings are that they flank unity alley. For the #foodies out there, one of our favorite restaurants @minerochs is shown on the right side of the image. Awesome #texmex Where is your favorite texmex or Mexican joint?

Good morning from the Old Town of Fernandina, Florida! This is the site of the original Spanish Land Grant settlement. Unfortunately the only thing that remains is the original street grid but it is cool to visit nonetheless. Now there are a bunch of cute houses that appear to be a mix of Victorian, Craftsman and Beach Bungalow. Some of them even look like what I would call Lowcountry Architecture that we have in Charleston. Swipe to see each pic. When Danielle saw the first house she shrieked,”Look at the pitch on that roof!” That made me proud. Who knows the significance of the 3rd house pictured? @dcarve and @poshtashc are excluded from this competition. #happymonday

Good morning from the Old Town of Fernandina, Florida! This is the site of the original Spanish Land Grant settlement. Unfortunately the only thing that remains is the original street grid but it is cool to visit nonetheless. Now there are a bunch of cute houses that appear to be a mix of Victorian, Craftsman and Beach Bungalow. Some of them even look like what I would call Lowcountry Architecture that we have in Charleston. Swipe to see each pic. When Danielle saw the first house she shrieked,”Look at the pitch on that roof!” That made me proud. Who knows the significance of the 3rd house pictured? @dcarve and @poshtashc are excluded from this competition. #happymonday

Good morning from Fernandina Beach! This is actually the Amelia Island Welcome Center in downtown Fernandina. What a great little building. Formerly a train station. I guess you would call this arts and crafts architecture. Arts and Crafts occurred late 1800’s, early 1900’s and was characterized by simple forms with hand made details like the decoration in the gable of this roof. An little ol architect named Frank Lloyd Wright rose up around this time and this little building reminds me a lot of #franklloydwright The detail in the gable and the arched doorway feels Wright. #punintended #dadjokes I am going to do some more exploring in Fernandina today and share some more pix tomorrow. Any recommendations?

Good morning from Fernandina Beach! This is actually the Amelia Island Welcome Center in downtown Fernandina. What a great little building. Formerly a train station. I guess you would call this arts and crafts architecture. Arts and Crafts occurred late 1800’s, early 1900’s and was characterized by simple forms with hand made details like the decoration in the gable of this roof. An little ol architect named Frank Lloyd Wright rose up around this time and this little building reminds me a lot of #franklloydwright The detail in the gable and the arched doorway feels Wright. #punintended #dadjokes I am going to do some more exploring in Fernandina today and share some more pix tomorrow. Any recommendations?

Good morning from Beaufort, South Carolina! You know what I like about Beaufort? They have given their urban waterfront to the people. This pic is taken at their waterfront park. In addition to having a beautifully landscaped park, they also have restaurants and shops that open up to the park. So it is an ‘Active’ Park. There is also a bandstand and they were setting up for their Water Festival. Parks are great, but active parks are better because they get more use and provide a greater benefit to the surrounding properties. Charleston could learn a few things here. Charleston has some nice waterfront parks but you can’t even find a place to use the restroom. And waterfront restaurants? We have 2. Good job Beaufort! You rock! #luvbft

Good morning from Beaufort, South Carolina! You know what I like about Beaufort? They have given their urban waterfront to the people. This pic is taken at their waterfront park. In addition to having a beautifully landscaped park, they also have restaurants and shops that open up to the park. So it is an ‘Active’ Park. There is also a bandstand and they were setting up for their Water Festival. Parks are great, but active parks are better because they get more use and provide a greater benefit to the surrounding properties. Charleston could learn a few things here. Charleston has some nice waterfront parks but you can’t even find a place to use the restroom. And waterfront restaurants? We have 2. Good job Beaufort! You rock! #luvbft

Good morning from Habersham! Haber what you say? Swipe to see all the pix. #Habersham is a nifty little community outside of Beaufort. Habersham is a #newurbanist community designed by the firm DPZ out of Miami. Folks in Charleston know the neighborhood I’on which is also a new urbanist neighborhood designed by DPZ. New urbanism also called Traditional Neighborhood Development is a form of design that involves using Urban principles to design greenfield communities in rural and suburban areas. It really should be called Old Urbanism because this is the way that communities and towns were historically designed before the automobile took control. These neighborhoods are designed to be Walkable and in many ways are the antithesis of suburban sprawl. The building lots are smaller, there is higher density, but also high quality green space and most important: businesses, schools and recreation uses are integrated within walking distance. The result is a greater sense of community and higher quality of life. Architectural guidelines are also established which help create a cohesive sense of place. I really liked the little post office. Great stuff!

Good morning from Habersham! Haber what you say? Swipe to see all the pix. #Habersham is a nifty little community outside of Beaufort. Habersham is a #newurbanist community designed by the firm DPZ out of Miami. Folks in Charleston know the neighborhood I’on which is also a new urbanist neighborhood designed by DPZ. New urbanism also called Traditional Neighborhood Development is a form of design that involves using Urban principles to design greenfield communities in rural and suburban areas. It really should be called Old Urbanism because this is the way that communities and towns were historically designed before the automobile took control. These neighborhoods are designed to be Walkable and in many ways are the antithesis of suburban sprawl. The building lots are smaller, there is higher density, but also high quality green space and most important: businesses, schools and recreation uses are integrated within walking distance. The result is a greater sense of community and higher quality of life. Architectural guidelines are also established which help create a cohesive sense of place. I really liked the little post office. Great stuff!

Good morning from the Ruins of Prince William’s Parish Church more commonly k own as Old Sheldon Church!!! Swipe to see all the pix. I am trying to teach my daughter that buildings are cool. I think she agrees. A visit to Old Sheldon is a must. If you are leaving Charleston heading south on 17 towards Savannah it is about 10 minutes shy of I-95. Old Sheldon is such a picturesque place to stretch your legs and enjoy some history. I guess you could say this building has good bones! These bones have lasted as far back as the 1750’s and survived a barbecue during the Revolutionary War. When I was in architecture school I spent 4 weeks studying in the ruins of Ancient Pompeii. These ruins remind me of Pompeii except that Pompeii is about 2,000 years old! I also like to imagine what the church would have looked like. Has anyone ever seen a drawing? #dailydoseofcharleston

Good morning from the Ruins of Prince William’s Parish Church more commonly k own as Old Sheldon Church!!! Swipe to see all the pix. I am trying to teach my daughter that buildings are cool. I think she agrees. A visit to Old Sheldon is a must. If you are leaving Charleston heading south on 17 towards Savannah it is about 10 minutes shy of I-95. Old Sheldon is such a picturesque place to stretch your legs and enjoy some history. I guess you could say this building has good bones! These bones have lasted as far back as the 1750’s and survived a barbecue during the Revolutionary War. When I was in architecture school I spent 4 weeks studying in the ruins of Ancient Pompeii. These ruins remind me of Pompeii except that Pompeii is about 2,000 years old! I also like to imagine what the church would have looked like. Has anyone ever seen a drawing? #dailydoseofcharleston

Good morning from Middle Atlantic Wharf Street! This is another street that you may not be that familiar with. It is a 2-block street that connects East Bay to the Waterfront Park. Some #funfacts about this street: you may refer to those stones in the street as cobble stones but the proper term is Belgian block. These granite stones are more square than the traditional rounded cobble. The other cool thing about this street and some of the others in this area is that you can still see train tracks in some areas. The harbor would have been full of wharfs and these tracks would be used to cart goods from the water to warehouses on land. Warehouses like the one in this photo. Special thanks to my 2 models, whoever they are..........Also special congrats to Charleston for being recognized as the #1 US City by @travelandleisure for the 6th straight year. I am proud to live in such a wonderful place and happy that others feel the same way. I guess that’s why we live here! #dailydoseofcharleston

Good morning from Middle Atlantic Wharf Street! This is another street that you may not be that familiar with. It is a 2-block street that connects East Bay to the Waterfront Park. Some #funfacts about this street: you may refer to those stones in the street as cobble stones but the proper term is Belgian block. These granite stones are more square than the traditional rounded cobble. The other cool thing about this street and some of the others in this area is that you can still see train tracks in some areas. The harbor would have been full of wharfs and these tracks would be used to cart goods from the water to warehouses on land. Warehouses like the one in this photo. Special thanks to my 2 models, whoever they are..........Also special congrats to Charleston for being recognized as the #1 US City by @travelandleisure for the 6th straight year. I am proud to live in such a wonderful place and happy that others feel the same way. I guess that’s why we live here! #dailydoseofcharleston