A background building that stands out

Charleston is predominantly a city of background buildings.

For every St. Michael's Church or U.S. Custom House, downtown has scores of smaller buildings whose architecture doesn't stand out nearly as much.

Still, the ongoing preservation and creative reuse of these buildings goes a long way toward giving Charleston its charm.

Take 85 1/2 Spring St.

It's hard to imagine a more modest structure: a single-story cinderblock shoebox tucked between two larger woodframe homes (that also are essentially background buildings, more or less).

But to Josh Nissenboim and Helen Rice of Fuzzco --founders of a cyber ad agency that specializes in websites, logos and online ads -- 85 1/2 Spring was just the sort of opportunity they were looking for.

Since there was so little historic fabric or ornamentation, their hands were freed up.

"We felt we could tackle it in a reasonable amount of time for a reasonable amount of money," Rice says. "It's a great shell."

Built sometime in the mid 20th century, the building apparently began life as Freelain's Quality Cleaners -- a commercial laundry -- then later became a neighborhood laundromat, stood vacant for a while and eventually was used as a church. A cross with the words "Jesus Saves" continued to decorate the facade when it was used most recently as a hat shop.

The new design is sleek and contemporary, with the older stuccoed block surrounding a new solid glass front. The new Apple store on King Street was an inspiration, says architect Simons Young of Thompson Young Design.

"It was conscious move to step the storefront back from the plane of the front of the building," he says. "The idea there was to have the contemporary element set back from the existing element to show what once was and what the insertion was."

The glass storefront exposes a bare-bones conference space with a concrete floor and a rear wooden wall with hidden doors.

The wall's material was salvaged from an old industrial plant in Kentucky and installed by furniture maker Michael James Moran.

"The idea is clients will come in, and they'll only be in this space," Helen Rice says. "We tried to keep it pretty minimal."

Behind the wooden partition is the main work area -- a long work table suitable for a series of personal computers and lit by a series of small windows, sconces made of yellow plastic and a web of snake-like lights attached to the trusses.

This workspace contrasts not only with the front conference area but the more open and sunlit break area at the building's rear.

"It's a womb like space in there with a more open feel on either end," Young says.

The interior design was shaped by Fuzzco, while the work was done by Crescent Interior Solutions.

Young says Fuzzco was good about connecting with friends and clients who were creative. "They took certain areas and focused on them," he says. "It sort of makes them pop a little bit."

While the building is easy to miss for those passing along Spring Street, it actually terminates the view of those driving south on Ashe Street.

Young says he most appreciates it from that view, particularly at night, as it glows like a lantern in the distance.

"I think it's a glimmer of what Spring Street can become," he says.

Robert Behre may be reached at 937-5771 or by fax at 937-5579. His e-mail address is rbehre@postandcourier.com, and his mailing address is 134 Columbus St., Charleston, SC 29403.