Clemson in Pickens County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Sikes Hall
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 6, 2021
1. Sikes Hall Marker
Built in 1904 to house the agriculture department, Sikes Hall stands at the historic entrance to campus. Like many early facilities, it was built by a predominantly African American convict labor crew. The building burned in 1925 and was reconstructed in 1926-1927 as a library, under the direction of architecture program founder Rudolph E. Lee. In 1966, trustees named it for Enoch Walter Sikes, president from 1915 to 1940, a period of growth and expansion despite the challenges of the Great Depression. After a 1972 renovation, Sikes became the main administration building. It was added to the National Register of Historic Buildings in 1990.
1904
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Erected by Clemson University.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Architecture • Education. A significant historical year for this entry is 1904.
Location. 34° 40.777′ N, 82° 50.088′ W. Marker is in Clemson, South Carolina, in Pickens County. Marker is at the intersection of Old Greenville Highway (State Highway 93) and Calhoun Drive, on the right when traveling east on Old Greenville Highway. Touch for map.
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Old Tillman Hall Bell (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Class of 1943 Veterans (about 300 feet away); Clemson College World War I Memorial (about 400 feet away); Long Hall (about 500 feet away); Thomas Green Clemson (about 600 feet away); Tillman Hall (about 600 feet away); Quercus lyrata (Overcup Oak) (about 600 feet away); Integration with Dignity, 1963 (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Clemson.
Regarding Sikes Hall. Excerpt from the National Register of Historic Places nomination for the Clemson University Historic District I, which includes Sikes Hall:
Sikes Hall (1905): By 1900, the Agricultural Department had outgrown its space in the Main Building and plans were made for a separate Agricultural Building. In January 1904 the cornerstone was laid, and the building was completed by 1905. Designed by Rudolph E. Lee, a graduate of Clemson College and chairman of the Department of Architecture, the Agricultural Building was modeled after the Library of Congress. It is situated at what was once the entrance to Fort Hill (the home of John C. Calhoun and later of Thomas G. Clemson,included in Clemson University Historic District II) and reinforcing the Tillman Hall axis. This Classical Revival style building served the Agriculture Department for twenty years until the interior was destroyed by fire in 1924. Rudolph Lee and Samuel B. Earle, chairman of the Engineering Department and president of Clemson 1924-25, designed its renovation as the second Clemson library, replacing the one on the second floor of the Main Building. The Agricultural Building was later renamed Sikes Hall in memory of Enoch Walter Sikes, who served as president of Clemson from 1925 to 1940.Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 6, 20212. Sikes Hall Marker
Also see . . . Sikes Hall. More details about the building by Clemson Wiki. (Submitted on November 8, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
Additional keywords. Penal labor
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 6, 2021
3. Sikes Hall
via NPS, unknown
4. Clemson University Historic District I
National Register of Historic Places Digital Archive on NPGallery website entry
Click for more information.
Click for more information.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 27, 2022. It was originally submitted on November 6, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 545 times since then and 110 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on November 6, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 2, 3. submitted on November 8, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 4. submitted on April 27, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.
