Godfrey Hall

Godfrey Hall

Godfrey Hall is one of the more historic buildings on campus. It is the current home of the department of Graphic Communications. The first section was originally built in 1898 as a textile building at a cost of $15,000 (TAPS 1939, page 24), and was eventually named for W. E. Godfrey, one of Clemson's original faculty members.

Godfrey Hall has served many purposes through Clemson history. In early days, the top floor was used as an overflow ward for the college hospital. It was once used as a temporary elementary (grades 1-8) when the local elementary school burned down in 1964. Godfrey was also used as a dressing room for the football team when the games were played on Bowman and Riggs Fields, before Fike Recreation Center was completed in the 1930s.

Another fact about Godfrey Hall is that it used to contain a water tower. When looking at the tower in the front of the building you will notice a difference in the color of the bricks. It was once brought to my attention that the buildings fire system used to be gravity fed. The top of the tower used to house the water and if the fire alarm was pulled water would begin to flow to the sprinklers. Of course this feature was installed after the first fire in the building, which almost burnt it to the ground.

An extension was built on the north side of the tower in 1900, and a rear wing was added in 1937. (TAPS 1939, page 25.) The last renovation occurred in 1987 and the building is the National Register of Historic Places.

It is located adjacent to Tillman Hall, Holtzendorff Hall, and Bowman Field