WHAT IF?

Once a bustling stop on the rail route between New York and Atlanta, Abbeville was shaped in part by the movement of travelers through its center. From the railroad station, passengers made their way toward Town Square, where the Belmont Hotel and Opera House marked the route through the city. As rail traffic declined, this pattern of movement faded, and urban infill gradually obscured the historic connection between the station and Town Square.

Originally slated for demolition, an abandoned auto shop sits at the southern edge of Abbeville’s historic Wagon Yard. Research into the site revealed that its garage doors aligned with this former route. The discovery prompted a reconsideration of the existing structure and became the basis for its reuse.

Developed through Hanbury’s Summer Scholar program, the project opens the 1,120 square-foot garage as a passage through the block and an open-air pavilion. A steel canopy and recycled brick pavers extend towards Church Street, reestablishing the historic route and inviting visitors into the pavilion. 

Perforated steel screens replace the former chain-link fence and define the plaza’s edge, their pattern drawn from the shadows of the oak trees in Town Square. The project’s central question, What if? takes form through light and shadow. At the entrance, the canopy projects the question onto the ground, marking the pedestrian passage through the building.

Working with the owner, a local steel fabricator, the team designed and fabricated the steel components. Modular elements can be assembled as seating or used to display student work and community proposals. The pavilion has since hosted community gatherings, local vendors, and small concerts, and became the setting for a Clemson School of Architecture studio studying six additional properties on the surrounding block.