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Clemson House was a hotel and later a residence hall located on the campus of Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina, USA. It was built in 1950 and demolished by controlled implosion in 2017.

Construction

Clemson House was built in 1950 by Daniel Construction Company of Greenville, owned and directed by Charles Daniel. Clemson House was designed by William G. Lyles and the firm of Bissett, Carlisle and Wolf Architects. It was opened on November 1, 1950. The hotel was constructed on a hill overlooking Clemson University's campus. The site of the former building is located across from Bowman Field and in close proximity to the Clemson University of Visitor and Alumni Center. The historic Tillman Hall and Memorial Stadium were visible from the front facing rooms of the structure. On clear days the Blue Ridge Mountains can be seen in the distance from the location.^[1]

Building features

Exterior

The exterior of Clemson House featured a covered slate-paved porch, a patio, a basketball court, and a luggage drop-off behind the building. Also featured outside of Clemson House was a stainless steel tiger sculpture, freely mounted and created by Charleston Artist Willard Hirsch.^[2]

Internal Layout

Clemson House held seven floors of rooms and apartments and a three-bedroom penthouse.^[2]

In the final years before its demise, Clemson House provided housing for sophomore and higher students and visiting faculty. As a dorm facility each room housed multiple students. While serving as a hotel, the rooms of Clemson House featured oversized single beds and other furniture along with private baths, and some apartment-type units included kitchenettes.^[3]

The Clemson House also had a variety of multi-purpose rooms for meetings and conferences, rented by the university.^[4] A barber shop, laundry room, and workout room provided additional services to students, faculty, and guests of the university.^[4]

History

Before Clemson University became coeducational in 1955, Clemson College had been an all-male military school for nearly 62 years.^[5] During the time that Clemson was an all-male college, the college hosted formal dances. Women from nearby colleges and towns would serve as "chaperones" to the men at cadet dances. Before Clemson House was built in 1950, The Clemson Club Hotel stood in its place. For overnight stays there were no hotel facilities, and many women would stay in the Clemson Club Hotel.^[6] The Clemson Club Hotel was a large boarding house that provided rooms and apartments for faculty and their families.^[2] When there was room, the building made room for some of the women staying in Clemson overnight.^[6]

Former Clemson University President Franklin Poole received a report in 1948 that called for an apartment-style hotel to be built in place of the older and dilapidated hotel that sat on the hill across from Bowman Field on Clemson University's campus. The house-hotel called for meeting rooms, a large lounge, and a more modernized and upscale look. The purpose of its construction was to house faculty, staff and retired faculty members. The project hoped to attract new young faculty and their families by providing convenient on-campus living. Soon after its completion, the hotel-apartment house would house faculty and their families and employ students to work as waitresses and luggage carriers.^[1]

The Clemson House was known as "Carolina's smartest hotel.". The hotel featured a large open lounge, the restaurant named "The Saber Room", and a non alcohol-selling club, "Tiger Tavern".^[1] A 1957 advertisement for Clemson House claimed, "The Clemson House represents the absolute ultimate in modern cuisine. . . Renowned throughout the Southeast for its fine food and incomparable hospitality".^[7] Upon its initial opening, the Clemson House served as a place for students to hang out. It was deemed as "one of the better hangouts" as students would enjoy Tiger Tavern downstairs or play card games in the open lounge.^[8]

The hotel also featured a "Radio House" until the 1980s. This radio studio was built during the construction of the building and would broadcast regularly. Normal early morning broadcasts would include weather reports, local news, and programs focused on the concerns of home, farm, and domestics. In the evening, reports would be broadcast concerning agricultural commodity markets and stocks. On occasion, pre-recorded music would be played as well as some talk shows. President Sikes would often use the radio station as a medium to communicate with the student body, though since President Sikes died in 1941 his broadcasts could not have been from the Clemson House.^{[citation needed]}

Several people of importance or fame have stayed at the Clemson House. Of these include a number of South Carolina governors and U.S. senators, U.S. Secretary of State Dean Rusk, and violinist Yehudi Menuhin, and opera singer Beverly Sills. Several actors in The Midnight Man (including Burt Lancaster) stayed in the penthouse suite during the film's production.^[1]

Demolition

Due to its of age, the building had fallen out of compliance with various codes and was deemed too expensive to retrofit. Workers began disassembling the interior in 2016. The neon sign was taken down July 2017. The structure was demolished by controlled implosion on December 3, 2017.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Reel, Jerome (2011). The High Seminary. Clemson, SC: Clemson University Digital.
^ ^a ^b ^c Bryan, Wright (1979). Clemson: an Informal History of the University, 1889-1979. Columbia, SC: R.L. Bryan.
^ "Clemson House". Archived from the original on 2 September 2011. Retrieved 28 October 2011.
^ ^a ^b "The Office of Summer Programs". Retrieved 28 October 2011.
^ "History". Retrieved 28 October 2011.
^ ^a ^b Riley, Helene M. (2002). Clemson University. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub.
^ TAPS 1957. Clemson, SC: Clemson A&M College. 1957.
^ TAPS 1952. Clemson, SC: Clemson A&M College. 1952.

Sources

Hancock, Sierra. "Clemson alumni recount memories after Clemson House imploded Sunday." Archived 2018-01-19 at the Wayback Machine 3 December 2017
Bryan, Wright. Clemson: An Informal History of the University, 1889-1979. Columbia, SC: R.L. Bryan, 1979. 81-83, 153-166.
Civics and Service House. 3 November 2011
"Clemson House." Archived 2011-09-02 at the Wayback Machine Clemson University 28 September 2011.
"Clemson House Reservation & Usage Policy." Clemson University. 20 October 2011.
"History" Clemson University. 28 October 2011
Reel, Jerome V. The High Seminary. Vol. 1. Clemson, SC: Clemson University Digital, 2011.
Riley, Helene M. Clemson University. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub., 2002. 82.
TAPS 1952. Clemson, SC: Clemson A&M College. 1952.
TAPS 1957. Clemson, SC: Clemson A&M College. 1957

34°40′51″N 82°50′02″W / 34.680917°N 82.833987°W / 34.680917; -82.833987

[Reel-1] Reel, Jerome (2011). The High Seminary. Clemson, SC: Clemson University Digital.

[Bryan-2] Bryan, Wright (1979). Clemson: an Informal History of the University, 1889-1979. Columbia, SC: R.L. Bryan.

[website-3] "Clemson House". Archived from the original on 2 September 2011. Retrieved 28 October 2011.

[Reservation-4] "The Office of Summer Programs". Retrieved 28 October 2011.

[histroy-5] "History". Retrieved 28 October 2011.

[Riley-6] Riley, Helene M. (2002). Clemson University. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub.

[TAPS1957-7] TAPS 1957. Clemson, SC: Clemson A&M College. 1957.

[TAPS1952-8] TAPS 1952. Clemson, SC: Clemson A&M College. 1952.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-'''Clemson House''' is a [[dormitory|residence hall]] located on the campus of [[Clemson University]] in Clemson, [[South Carolina]], USA.
+'''Clemson House''' was a hotel and later a [[dormitory|residence hall]] located on the campus of [[Clemson University]] in Clemson, [[South Carolina]], USA. It was built in 1950 and demolished by controlled implosion in 2017.
 ==Construction==
-Clemson House was built in 1950 by Daniel Construction Company of Greenville, owned and directed by [[Charles E. Daniel|Charles Daniel]]. Clemson House was designed by William G. Lyles and the firm of Bissett, Carlisle and Wolf Architects. It was opened on November 1, 1950. The hotel was constructed on a hill overlooking [[Clemson University]]'s campus. It is located across from Bowman Field and in close proximity to the Clemson University of Visitor and Alumni Center. The historic Tillman Hall and [[Memorial Stadium, Clemson|Memorial Stadium]] are visible from the front facing rooms of the house, and on clear days the [[Blue Ridge Mountains]] can be seen in the distance.<ref name=Reel>{{cite book|last=Reel|first=Jerome|title=The High Seminary|year=2011|publisher=Clemson University Digital|location=Clemson, SC}}</ref>
+Clemson House was built in 1950 by Daniel Construction Company of Greenville, owned and directed by [[Charles E. Daniel|Charles Daniel]]. Clemson House was designed by William G. Lyles and the firm of Bissett, Carlisle and Wolf Architects. It was opened on November 1, 1950. The hotel was constructed on a hill overlooking [[Clemson University]]'s campus. The site of the former building is located across from Bowman Field and in close proximity to the Clemson University of Visitor and Alumni Center. The historic Tillman Hall and [[Memorial Stadium, Clemson|Memorial Stadium]] were visible from the front facing rooms of the structure.  On clear days the [[Blue Ridge Mountains]] can be seen in the distance from the location.<ref name=Reel>{{cite book|last=Reel|first=Jerome|title=The High Seminary|year=2011|publisher=Clemson University Digital|location=Clemson, SC}}</ref>
 ==Building features==
 ===Exterior===
-The exterior of Clemson House features a covered [[Slate|slate-paved]] porch, a patio, a basketball court, and a luggage drop-off behind the building. Also featured outside of Clemson House is a stainless steel tiger sculpture, freely mounted and created by Charleston Artist [[Willard Hirsch]].<ref name=Bryan />
+The exterior of Clemson House featured a covered [[Slate|slate-paved]] porch, a patio, a basketball court, and a luggage drop-off behind the building. Also featured outside of Clemson House was a stainless steel tiger sculpture, freely mounted and created by Charleston Artist [[Willard Hirsch]].<ref name=Bryan />
-===Rooms and apartments===
+===Internal Layout===
-Clemson House holds seven floors of rooms and apartments, as well as a three-bedroom [[penthouse apartment|penthouse]].<ref name=Bryan />
+Clemson House held seven floors of rooms and apartments and a three-bedroom [[penthouse apartment|penthouse]].<ref name=Bryan />
-Clemson House currently houses freshmen students and visiting faculty. As a dorm facility each room houses 2-4 extra long twin beds. While serving as a hotel, the rooms of Clemson House featured oversized single bed, individual desks and chairs, closets, wardrobes and/or bookshelves, chests-of-drawers, private bath, kitchenette (in apartment units), wall-mounted mirror in bathroom, tack boards, carpet, air conditioning, Venetian blinds, high-speed internet access, basic [[DirecTV]] service.<ref name=website>{{cite web|title=Clemson House|url=http://www.clemson.edu/campus-life/housing/residential-areas/residence-halls/clemson-house.html|accessdate=28 October 2011}}</ref>
+In the final years before its demise, Clemson House provided housing for sophomore and higher students and visiting faculty. As a dorm facility each room housed multiple students. While serving as a hotel, the rooms of Clemson House featured oversized single beds and other furniture along with private baths, and some apartment-type units included kitchenettes.<ref name=website>{{cite web|title=Clemson House|url=http://www.clemson.edu/campus-life/housing/residential-areas/residence-halls/clemson-house.html|accessdate=28 October 2011|archive-date=2 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902001336/http://www.clemson.edu/campus-life/housing/residential-areas/residence-halls/clemson-house.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
-The Clemson House also has a variety of rooms that may function as meeting or conference rooms. These rooms include the Lila Holmes Ballrom, Virginia Poole Room, Virginia Shanklin Room, Pool/Shanklin Room, and the Joseph Laurie Young Penthouse. These rooms are available for use and rent by Clemson University and external groups.<ref name=Reservation>{{cite web|title=The Office of Summer Programs|url=http://www.clemson.edu/summer/summer-programs/clemson-house-reservations/|accessdate=28 October 2011}}</ref>
+The Clemson House also had a variety of multi-purpose rooms for meetings and conferences, rented by the university.<ref name=Reservation>{{cite web|title=The Office of Summer Programs|url=http://www.clemson.edu/summer/summer-programs/clemson-house-reservations/|accessdate=28 October 2011}}</ref>  A [[barber|barber shop]], laundry room, and workout room provided additional services to students, faculty, and guests of the university.<ref name=Reservation />
-===Other commodities===
-On the first level is a [[barber|barber shop]], frequently visited by faculty and students alike.
-Clemson House also features a free laundry room and a workout room located in the lower level.<ref name=Reservation />
 ===History===
@@ Line 27: / Line 22: @@
 The Clemson House was known as "Carolina's smartest hotel.". The hotel featured a large open lounge, the restaurant named "The Saber Room", and a non alcohol-selling  club, "Tiger Tavern".<ref name=Reel/> A 1957 advertisement for Clemson House claimed, "The Clemson House represents the absolute ultimate in modern cuisine. . . Renowned throughout the Southeast for its fine food and incomparable hospitality".<ref name=TAPS1957>{{cite book|title=TAPS 1957|year=1957|publisher=Clemson A&M College|location=Clemson, SC}}</ref> Upon its initial opening, the Clemson House served as a place for students to hang out. It was deemed as "one of the better hangouts" as students would enjoy Tiger Tavern downstairs or play card games in the open lounge.<ref name=TAPS1952>{{cite book|title=TAPS 1952|year=1952|publisher=Clemson A&M College|location=Clemson, SC}}</ref>
-The hotel also featured a "Radio House" until the 1980s. This [[radio studio]] was built during the construction of the building and would broadcast regularly. Normal early morning broadcasts would include weather reports, local news, and programs focused on the concerns of home, farm, and domestics. In the evening, reports would be broadcast concerning agricultural commodity markets and stocks. On occasion, pre-recorded music would be played as well as some talk shows. President Sikes would often use the radio station as a medium to communicate with the student body., though since President Sikes died in 1941 his broadcasts could not have been from the Clemson House.<Wikipedia posting on E. Walter Sikes/>
+The hotel also featured a "Radio House" until the 1980s. This [[radio studio]] was built during the construction of the building and would broadcast regularly. Normal early morning broadcasts would include weather reports, local news, and programs focused on the concerns of home, farm, and domestics. In the evening, reports would be broadcast concerning agricultural commodity markets and stocks. On occasion, pre-recorded music would be played as well as some talk shows. President Sikes would often use the radio station as a medium to communicate with the student body, though since President Sikes died in 1941 his broadcasts could not have been from the Clemson House.{{cn|date=July 2023}}
 Several people of importance or fame have stayed at the Clemson House. Of these include a number of South Carolina [[governor (United States)|governors]] and U.S. [[United States Senate|senators]], [[United States Secretary of State|U.S. Secretary of State]] [[Dean Rusk]], and violinist [[Yehudi Menuhin]], and opera singer [[Beverly Sills]]. Several actors in ''[[The Midnight Man (1974 film)|The Midnight Man]]'' (including [[Burt Lancaster]]) stayed in the penthouse suite during the film's production.<ref name="Reel"/>
-===Clemson House today===
+===Demolition===
+Due to its of age, the building had fallen out of compliance with various codes and was deemed too expensive to retrofit.  Workers began disassembling the interior in 2016. The neon sign was taken down July 2017. The structure was demolished by controlled implosion on December 3, 2017.
-====Functions and services====
-The Big Neon Sign was taken down July of 2017. Clemson house is scheduled for demolition on December 3, 2017.
-Today Clemson House serves several functions. It serves as a residence hall, dining hall, barber shop, laundromat, gym, hotel and conference area.
-Clemson House is a residence hall for entering freshman students of Clemson University. Clemson House is home to approximately 400 men and women, who are housed separately in different rooms on co-ed halls. Students are housed in apartment-style rooms of two, three, or four people.
-<ref name=website/>
-Clemson House also functions as a location of one of three dining halls on Clemson University's campus. The Clemson House Dining Hall is located on the first floor and serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week during fall and spring [[Academic Term|semesters]].<ref name=campusdish>{{cite web|title=Dining Locations: Clemson House|url=http://www.campusdish.com/en-US/CSSE/Clemson/Locations/ClemsonHouse.htm|accessdate=28 October 2011}}</ref>
-Also on the first floor is a barber shop.<ref name=website/>
-The second floor houses students belonging to The Civics and Service House organization of Clemson University. These students are service- oriented and instill a desire to service the Clemson-area community. Founded in fall 2005, The Civics and Service House offers a way for students to do this while exploring service career options and investigate social problems.<ref name=CASH>{{cite web|title=Civics and Service House|url=http://21023.orgsync.com/org/cash|accessdate=28 October 2011}}</ref>
-Clemson House also serves as a hotel for visiting faculty and extended stay housing. There are six fully furnished rooms on the seventh floor of the building that are available upon request. Stays must be for a minimum of two weeks.<ref name=Reservation />
 ==References==
@@ Line 52: / Line 33: @@
 ==Sources==
+* Hancock, Sierra.  [http://www.foxcarolina.com/story/36980962/clemson-alum-recounts-memories-after-clemson-house-imploded-sunday "Clemson alumni recount memories after Clemson House imploded Sunday."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119120239/http://www.foxcarolina.com/story/36980962/clemson-alum-recounts-memories-after-clemson-house-imploded-sunday |date=2018-01-19 }} 3 December 2017
 * Bryan, Wright. Clemson: ''An Informal History of the University, 1889-1979''. Columbia, SC: R.L. Bryan, 1979. 81-83, 153-166.
 * [http://21023.orgsync.com/org/cash Civics and Service House]. 3 November 2011
-*  [http://www.clemson.edu/campus-life/housing/residential-areas/residence-halls/clemson-house.html "Clemson House."] Clemson University 28 September 2011.
+*  [http://www.clemson.edu/campus-life/housing/residential-areas/residence-halls/clemson-house.html "Clemson House."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902001336/http://www.clemson.edu/campus-life/housing/residential-areas/residence-halls/clemson-house.html |date=2011-09-02 }} Clemson University 28 September 2011.
 * [http://www.clemson.edu/summer/summer-programs/clemson-house-reservations/ "Clemson House Reservation & Usage Policy."] Clemson University.  20 October 2011.
 * [http://www.clemson.edu/about/history/ "History"] Clemson University. 28 October 2011
@@ Line 61: / Line 43: @@
 * TAPS 1952. Clemson, SC: Clemson A&M College. 1952.
 * TAPS 1957. Clemson, SC: Clemson A&M College. 1957
+{{Coord|34.680917|-82.833987|display=title}}
 [[Category:Clemson University campus]]
+[[Category:1950 establishments in South Carolina]]
+[[Category:2017 disestablishments in South Carolina]]
 [[Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1950]]
+[[Category:Buildings and structures demolished in 2017]]
+[[Category:Demolished buildings and structures in South Carolina]]
+[[Category:Buildings and structures demolished by controlled implosion]]