Investing in the Future of Stone & Building Arts

Our work at DeSantana allows us to collaborate with highly skilled artisans all over the United States, Europe and South America. We rely on their expertise, historical perspective, and skills passed from generation to generation. We want to contribute to that continued development, education and passion for the building arts here in the U.S. We are proud to be providing scholarship support to the American College of the Building Arts. This institution in Charleston, S.C. effectively trains future generations of students through programs that allow them to develop trade skills and expand them to the expressive levels of an artisan.

“The American College of the Building Arts is unlike any other institution of higher education in America. It’s not a trade school, nor is it a traditional liberal arts college. It is the only college in the nation that merges a liberal arts core curriculum with professional training in the traditional building arts. ACBA graduates not only understand how to do things, they understand the history, science, cultural and aesthetic concepts behind preserving our nation’s architectural and historical treasures, as well as creating new work worthy of preservation for future generations.”

Externships in a student’s craft specialization is required during each summer break. Students have completed externships all around the world, including:

> Historic repairs to England’s Lincoln Cathedral
> Shadowing Italy’s master iron smiths
> Restoring palaces in Germany
> Preserving the U.S Capitol Dome in Washington, DC
> Conducting preservation research and restoration of Mount Vernon

*28 out of 28 students surveyed.

ACBA is nationally accredited by the ACCSC. A third-party survey of ACBA graduates from 2015-2017 confirmed that every alumnus surveyed was employed within his or her chosen career field.*