University of South Carolina - Campus

Campus

The Horseshoe is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and most of its buildings reflect the federal style of architecture in vogue in the early days of the nation. Among them is the Caroliniana Library, which was designed by Robert Mills and is the first freestanding academic library in the United States.

Over the years the eleven original buildings on the Horseshoe survived a fire, an earthquake, and the Civil War, but in 1940 McKissick Museum replaced the original President's House. The President's House would eventually return to the Horseshoe after extensive remodeling of one of its original buildings, which was dedicated as such in 1952.

During the 20th century, the campus began to spread out dramatically from the Horseshoe. Today it includes the student union, 24 residence halls, numerous academic buildings, Longstreet Theatre, the Koger Center for the Arts, the Carolina Coliseum, the Colonial Life Arena, Carolina Stadium, and various facilities for Olympic sports. (Williams-Brice Stadium is located approximately one mile off campus.) Recent additions to the campus are the Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center, the Greek Village, the Green Quad, the Honors College Residence Hall, the Public Health Research Center, the Inn at USC, the Colonial Life Arena and Carolina Stadium. Future plans also include a new home for the School of Law (to be constructed in the block bounded by Gervais, Senate, Pendleton, and Bull streets with construction scheduled to begin in 2013) and a new home for the Moore School of Business, currently under construction at the corner of Assembly and Greene streets.

The campus continues to expand west toward the Congaree River in support of its research initiatives (see below). Three separate sites, each specializing in its own research area, will initially cover 500,000 square feet (46,500 m2) spread over six city blocks and will eventually grow to 5,000,000 square feet (465,000 m2). This new district of campus, named Innovista, will mix university and private research buildings, parking garages, and commercial and residential units. At the center will be a public plaza called Foundation Square.

The University of South Carolina also operates a transit system under Parking Services called Carolina Shuttle (formerly ShuttleCock) which operates Monday - Friday, 7:30 am to 5:30 pm with 7 routes and 14 buses including converted buses that use more energy-efficient biodiesel. The Evening Shuttle operates from 6pm to 2:30am. The system operates during the Fall and Spring semesters, with limited operation during the summer, reading days, and holidays. Service is free to all USC students, faculty and staff. A new system called "Cocky's Caravan" was added in 2008 as a weekend service, shuttling students from main areas on campus to the local entertainment district Five Points. In 2011, Cocky's Caravan was shut down and replaced by a partnership with Checker Yellow Cab known as "Carolina Cab" that offers students free rides from Five Points to their homes within 5 miles (8 km) of campus, 10:00 pm to 3:00 am Thursday through Saturday.