Riggs Hall

Riggs Hall, constructed in 1927 to house architecture and engineering, was the second Clemson building designed by Rudolph E. Lee, architecture program founder and college architect from 1911-1940. It is in the Italian Renaissance Revival style and features five carved grotesque heads on the third-floor facade. The building was named for Walter M. Riggs, professor of engineering, first football coach, acting president from 1909-1911, and president from 1911-1924. Breezeways were added to connect Riggs to the Cook Engineering Laboratory in 1965 and Rhodes Engineering Research Center in 1968. It was added to the National Register of Historic Buildings in 1990., Riggs Hall was not Clemson's first engineering facility. Mechanical Hall, which originally housed engineering, was one of the earliest campus buildings but was destroyed by fire in 1926. Riggs Hall is located south of Mechanical Hall's site. The building's namesake, President Walter M. Riggs, brought football to Clemson. He organized the first team in 1896 and served as the first football coach. Architect Rudolph E. Lee designed the five carved grotesque heads that project from the façade between the third-floor windows. Clemson lore holds that the exaggerated and comical faces represent past professors., Established , 1927 , Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.