I remember the day well it was early September 2010 and I just rushed from the office and
arrived at the James Island County Park climbing wall and just as I started climbing it started
to rain. I thought another session done and I got a phone call. I had my cell phone on me which was
unusual and I picked up and got on the other lines. Hey man this is Kevin from the climbing wall
and I said I heard you're looking to put up a bouldering wall that you've got a bunch of wood
and I was sort of half stunned and I said yeah yeah actually I am. He goes well I've got a place
in the back of my architecture studio that I don't use and it's just a little room in a warehouse
type place. If you want to come check it out you're more than welcome. I was so excited I could
barely contain myself and I didn't want to be too pushy but looked at my watch and said but how about
I can be buying 30 minutes is that cool? He gave me the address and when I cruised over
I was surprised to find out that it was in the heart of downtown on King Street right next to the
College of Charleston. Do we get in it? You're in it man for sure. You're tagged.
There were a bunch of College of Charleston kids milling about on the corner across the street
and after months of observation once the ballroom was up we dubbed it the make it or break it corner.
I'll never forget that first time Kevin gave me a tour of the back room.
His kids bicycles and toys and playhouses were strewn about and there were even two panels of wood
with holds on them that a friend had given him when she moved away. Kevin handed me the key and
smiled and said come over anytime you want use any of those tools and stay as late as you'd like.
I got to get back to a project so enjoy. He walked back into his studio and I stood there alone
jaw drop. Key in hand thinking this is the coolest guy I've ever met. He popped his head in a few
minutes later and said oh I almost forgot to mention there's a guy that lives upstairs named Dave
you might see him on the porch from time to time. One of the first nights I went to haul wood over
I'd had it stored at my friend's Brooks house.
A cat bird.
It's common names. I showed up and started unloading it and
this guy came out and just started helping me get the wood and chatting it up and it was Dave
and that was the start of a wonderful friendship. He went to Morocco and nobody's heard from him
since but he's a legend in his own right. Three wires in it. One is a one is a black which is power
of the other one's a white and it's round because they make them flat which is the heavier one is
a black it's not that big of a gauge it's literally. I'm done.
He was telling me how it used to be an old slaughterhouse and I looked up at the
giant chandelier the tin chandelier and for some reason it struck me as the type chandelier you'd
find in a big ballroom even though not really the case but so I started calling it the ballroom
and the name stuck and that's when it became the ballroom.
One of the more memorable moments of those first two weeks of building through the night
was the the support beam. Side to side it's 18 feet and you can't get an 18 foot support beam
at lows or home depot type places. It just so happens that outside the ballroom there was a
big pile of giant support beams that happened to be the exact size that we needed. Kevin said it was
cool to use one so I hauled the thing in there over 100 pound huge 150 pounds. I was alone but I
wanted to get it up get the first part complete so I sort of put one end down then got on the other
end and pulled press it up and would set it on the ladder and then I'd go to the other end and stand
up on the ladder and pulled that thing up just teetering on the ladder. It's looking back on it
it could have been bad but we got it up so yeah.
What's up man? I'm filming right now. You're gonna be famous. We're live.
Hey you're famous already. We're live.
7 a.m. in the morning. I stayed up all night working on this damn ball. I just get it done
mode and can't stop. It's a little delirious right now. I had to go crash for an hour before work but
I don't know what's taking me so long to do with parts these crazy angles and it's blurred right
now since it's focused on me but boom got the first hold up. What? Yes sir. Many more to come.
I think sunrise already happened but beautiful morning outside. We're here on the crash another day.
