Clemson University

Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina

Clemson University report to the Getty Part 1 (PDF) 25.1MB

Clemson University report to the Getty Part 2 (PDF) 109MB

Clemson University report to the Getty Part 3 (PDF) 23.5MB

Clemson University report to the Getty Part 4 (PDF) 50.4MB

Clemson University report to the Getty Part 5 (PDF) 1.6MB

Clemson University report to the Getty Part 6 (PDF) 1MB

Clemson University report to the Getty Part 7 (PDF) 1MB

Clemson University report to the Getty Part 8 (PDF) 1MB

Clemson University report to the Getty Part 9 (PDF) 4MB

Clemson was founded in the late 1800s for agriculture and the mechanical arts on 1,400-acres of donated land at the original Fort Hill Plantation, a monument to the Antebellum South. The distinctive nineteenth-century character and design of the buildings continue to define the historic core of the campus, although modernist structures were added throughout the 1960s. In addition to significant architectural resources, the 17,000-acre Clemson Experimental Forest (a Works Project Administration conservation project still managed by the university) surrounds the campus. With Getty grant support, Clemson is undertaking an inventory of the campus's historic resources in order to assess eligibility for the National Register, as well as reviewing past conditions assessments and creating treatment guidelines for both existing buildings and new construction that will lead to a new Preservation Master Plan.

Clemson University received a Getty grant in 2007 for $160,000 to support campus heritage planning.

Report Summary

Purpose:This project focused on the development of a preservation master plan that would assist the university in the stewardship of historic resources. Its goals were fourfold. First, the effort was intended to maintain historic landscapes and building resources that define the character of the campus while simultaneously allowing the university to meet changing needs. It also was intended to promote the value of historic landscape resources as equal to the value of historic architecture and maximize their role in enhancing intellectual and social interaction and sustainable design. Further, it was expected to reduce negative impacts to historic landscape when considering the development and siting of new buildings, parking facilities, and other structures. Lastly, it was planned to implement a centralized review process that consider the impacts of new development projects on exiting historic resources before final decisions are made.

Historic Designation(s): Several campus sites are contributing properties in the Clemson University I Historic District, Clemson University II Historic District, and Pendleton Historic District (National Register of Historic Places); Fort Hill / John C. Calhoun House (National Historic Landmark and National Register of Historic Places); Hanover House (National Register of Historic Places); and Clemson Sheep Barn (National Register of Historic Places).

Planning Process: Clemson University pursued a highly collaborative effort for the master planning process: a presidential planning advisory committee, a history commission, and an outside preservation planning consultant all worked closely on the project. These groups included representatives from college administration, finance and capital projects, campus planning, faculty from several departments (history, historic preservation, anthropology, archaeology), library archivists, landscape and facilities management, and the board of trustees in addition to outside architects, landscape architects, preservation planners, and city and regional leaders in heritage planning.

The study provided historic documentation of primary and secondary resources, field surveys and interviews, landscape analysis, and building assessments for campus structures more than 50 years old. It was guided by the criteria of the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties and A Guide to Cultural Landscape Reports in its consideration of the core campus and adjacent lands.

Outcomes—Products: The project resulted in the production of the “Clemson University Preservation Master Plan” (2009), which addresses five areas. First, it offers an introduction that considers past studies about the policies and preservation issues that have impacted the campus. Second, it examines the history of each major era in the development of the institution and offers a framework for the study. Third, it documents existing conditions, including detailed analysis of both buildings and landscape. Fourth, it delineates preservation guidelines for preservation project planning and guidelines for alterations to historic resources. Finally, it presents recommendations about specific treatments and preservation maintenance practices.

This report also includes appendices of plant lists of the vegetation on campus, information about National Park Service Professional Qualification Standards, and GSA LEED applications. This section of the report also includes correspondence with the South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office (SC SHPO) regarding the university’s efforts to identify and establish the eligibility of several sites to be added as contributing properties in two of the historic districts and to start the nomination process for seven campus buildings that are now individually eligible for designation.

Outcomes—Strategies and Goals for the Future: The preservation master plan is expected to offer guidance to university leadership and professionals with data that augments and complements existing planning and facilities documents. It also is expected to play a direct role in future planning, capital projects, and continued maintenance of the historic structures that are part of the campus.