So here’s a big, looming South Carolina cross somewhere that a longtime reader sent this week. Where is it and why was it built so big? Send us your guess of what this photo shows – as well as your name and hometown – to feedback@statehousereport.com.
Last week’s mystery photo, “Old photo, car” shows what the old Clemson House dorm at Clemson University looked like in 1960. It was built in 1950.
Allan Peel of San Antonio, Texas, shared some of its history: “This imposing seven-story building, with an iconic ‘Clemson House’ orange neon sign was often one of the first landmarks visitors saw as they approached the university. Note that the neon is not visible in the mystery photo since the sign was on the opposite side of the building from where the photo was taken.
“Originally built as a hotel to replace a boarding house, it was later converted to a residence hall and eventually became the center, not only of the Clemson University campus, but of the surrounding community as well. The building had fallen out of compliance with various building codes and was deemed too expensive to retrofit. Workers began disassembling the interior in 2016 and the neon sign was taken down in July 2017. The structure was demolished by a controlled implosion on December 3, 2017.”
Others who correctly identified the building were: Elizabeth Jones and Jay Altman, both of Columbia; George Graf of Palmyra, Va.; David Lupo of Mount Pleasant; Frank Bouknight of Summerville; Pat Keadle of Wagener; Greg Nowell of Seneca; Sharon Fennell of Clemson; Cris Temples of Charleston; Don Clark of Hartsville; and Warren Player.
- Send us a mystery picture. If you have a photo that you believe will stump readers, send it along (but make sure to tell us what it is because it may stump us too!) Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com and mark it as a photo submission. Thanks.
We Can Do Better, South Carolina!
It’s the cross as you enter lake city sc off Hwy 52