Restoration Institute begins revitalization effort

Renovation of the former Navy base in North Charleston took a key step Wednesday as the Clemson University Restoration Institute hired an architectural firm to revitalize the first two buildings there.

Mount Pleasant-based McKellar & Associates will transform the former Navy barracks, Building 658, into offices and laboratories for the institute’s faculty and staff. The 31,135-square-foot barracks was built in 1964. Clemson anticipates staffing the building by winter 2010.

The firm also will remove hazardous materials and repair holes in the roof of the 12,000-square-foot former U.S. Coast Guard station, Building 590A, which dates to 1934. The building is likely to house executive offices and community meeting space.

Clemson’s goal is to turn 86 acres at the former base into a state-of-the-art research park that can spawn spin-off businesses and attract public-private partnerships and private development.

“Historic preservation and community revitalization lie at the heart of the Restoration Institute’s mission,” said Alan Godfrey, the institute’s director of real estate and financial affairs. “In partnership with McKellar & Associates, we will breathe new life into these abandoned buildings.”