The Founding of the Clemson House

Universities across the United States underwent significant changes after World War II. The G.I. Bill, passed in 1944, sought to ease the transition back into civilian life for returning veterans. One of the components of the bill provided veterans with scholarships totaling $500 (a value of over $8000 in 2022) to continue their education, in addition to providing a living stipend. This act made higher education widely accessible to lower and middle-class veterans, causing a boom in university attendance; by 1947, nearly 49% of college admissions were veterans taking advantage of the G.I. Bill (1). Clemson University was not exempt from this trend. In 1944, the entire student body numbered 745 individuals. By 1947, attendance had grown to 3,253 students (2). This jump in attendance came with significant growing pains. In short order, Clemson needed to both house these additional students and hire a significant number of faculty and staff members. The board of trustees took swift action and commissioned a population study for the University. The report was finalized in April of 1948 and called for the construction of “...a mixed-use apartment house-hotel complete with meeting rooms, a large lounge, and other features more common to upscale urban hotels,”(3). This structure was meant to offer an alternative housing option for faculty, staff, and retired professors, and was quickly commissioned by University President Robert Poole. The Daniel Construction Company of Greenville won the bid for the project, and construction of the soon-to-be Clemson House Hotel began in 1949 (3). Construction moved swiftly and the project was concluded by 1950. More than just lodging for faculty and staff, the Clemson House included hotel rooms available to the public, a large dining room and restaurant, the “Tiger Tavern,” and even a radio studio and broadcasting facility (3). The Clemson House soon became a prominent symbol of the university it was tied to and continues to persist in the memories of the thousands of students, faculty, and guests that walked through its doors.

1. History.com Editors. “G.I. Bill.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 27 May 2010, https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/gi-bill. 
2. “Historical Enrollment Summary - Clemson University.” Historical Enrollment Summary, Clemson University, https://www.clemson.edu/institutional-effectiveness /documents/o ir/historical/Historical-Enrollment-Detail.pdf. 
3. Reel, Jerome V. The High Seminary, Volume 1: A History of the Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina, 1889-1964. Clemson University Digital Press, 2011.