Primary Source: A Clemson '91 Graduate

"Here are my thoughts on the Clemson House. It was not centrally located, as it was the only thing on that side of the Boulevard officially considered part of campus besides the Alumni Center and some married housing, but because of its location on top of the hill, and its multistories with the iconic orange neon “Clemson House” sign on top, it was one of the most prominent buildings on campus. In my day, it was primarily used as housing for the Honors College, so it wasn’t a place that most “normal” students frequented on a daily basis. It was kind of a special occasion place. We all lived in Johnstone, the Quad, or the Highrises, and the only places to eat were Harcombe or Schilletter. There were no fancy condos, no Maddren Center, and no food courts. Dominoes and Itza Pizza (which was horrible) were the only delivery options.

There weren’t many common areas to hang out. There was a place in the middle of Johnston called the Loggia (whatever that means), and it was a museum of 60s leisure furniture, all original. Actually, no part of the whole Johnstone compound had been updated since the 60s. When you sat in the Loggia furniture, you literally were sitting in the same chairs your parents sat in when they were students.

Going to the Clemson house was a big deal. Fancy. Since it originally served as the University’s hotel, it still had a hotel feel downstairs, a little more homey and refined, and very comforting. There was a restaurant that the smart kids got to go to every day, and the rest of us could go on Sundays. When my sister was a student nine years prior, only juniors and seniors could eat in the restaurant. Needless to say, it was a big deal, a privilege. There were real wooden dinner tables, upholstered chairs, white tablecloths, and silverware that didn’t look left over from the army canteen like we were used to eating with. They served real meat, real vegetables, and good sweet tea. Everyone behaved themselves, unlike the food fights that would break out in Harcombe. It was the most romantic place on campus. If you took a “date” to church, you would go there afterward for a steak and continue the courting process. It felt like you were getting away from campus, acting like a real person. And since there was Clemson nostalgia all around the lobby area, you felt like you were stepping back into another Clemson era.
It was also a place for fun. If it snowed, we all got the dining trays from the restaurant and slid down the hill in front of the Clemson House.

**The picture provided of sledding was from the early 1900s, just to give a reference of what it may have looked like.**

On the upper floor of the Clemson house, there were vacant rooms that were used as meeting rooms for different organizations, or study rooms. The hallways were wide, with old Persian carpets, and great light fixtures that reminded you of an old hotel. I’m not sure if they were only available to upperclassmen, or if only upperclassmen knew about them, and kept it quiet from the underclassmen. From the upper floor, you were looking down over Bowman Field, Tillman Hall, the Quad, Memorial Stadium, Lake Hartwell, and Clemson sunsets. I remember vowing with friends that after we graduated and made our millions, we would retire, return to Clemson and all live together on the upper floor of the Clemson House, and none of us considered it strange (1)."

(1) Niemer, Greg. Interview. Conducted by Ross Niemer. 26 April 2022.