As students and faculty prepare for classes to begin next month in the newly renovated Neville Hall at Presbyterian College, the finishing touches are being made to the building. One of these touches is a unique, handcrafted chandelier to be placed this Friday, July 21 in the building’s newly opened rotunda.

“We wanted something unique and handmade for Neville that celebrated its history as the centerpiece of campus,” said Susan Maddux, vice president for finance and administration.

The chandelier is made by The Heirloom Companies, a local award winning wood and ironworks manufacturer out of Campobello, S.C. Harper Corporation, the general contractor over the Neville renovation first selected Heirloom to construct the building’s rotunda railings, which were designed to match railings seen in the building before closing off the rotunda in the 1960s.

“I remember walking through the building and taking pictures of some of the architectural details that are original to the building,” James Moseley, designer said. “The details of the acanthus leaves and the egg and dart trim details are historical details I thought would be neat to bring into the chandelier design. Once we had some parameters to work within, I put together two hand sketches to present for review.”

“The chandelier is 100 percent custom made, the scrolls are hand forged out of solid material, the leaves were made using a French technique called Repousse and Chasing,” Moseley added. “We couldn’t find a glass globe that met our design requirements, so we decided to have them hand blown by a glass artisan in North Carolina. Overall, I think the light will be considered the jewelry for Neville Hall.”

“The architect researched the archives to see what the original railings looked like when Neville was first built,” Maddux said. “Heirloom was able to create these for the College. Their creative design and detail of work made them the obvious choice for the chandelier’s creation.”

“The rotunda railing was ultimately inspired by some old photographs we were supplied by Harper and PC,” said Moseley. “We were able to work with the architect David Dixon and Harper to come up with a 100 percent custom and unique railing. The balusters, newel post, newel top finials, and handrail were all custom made for PC and are truly one of a kind. You will not see a rail like this anywhere else.”

Moseley explained that Heirloom used both CNC technology and the hands of artisan wood workers to pull off the project in the given timeframe and budget.

The Heirloom Companies was founded in 1994 with a focus on providing superior staircases. Since then, both its physical building and product offerings have expanded to better serve the requests of its clients.

Presbyterian College is located on a striking 240-acre campus in Clinton, between Columbia and Greenville, S.C. Offering challenging academics and a culture of honor, ethics, and service that prepares students to be leaders in communities, PC offers its students the benefit of engaging with an exceptional faculty who take individual interest in their students’ well-being, both personally and in the classroom. The Presbyterian College School of Pharmacy is dedicated to the ideals of leadership, honor to the profession, and service to the community. For more information about Presbyterian College, visit www.presby.edu.