Harper was selected as the CM At-Risk to complete a 14,000 SF historical renovation of the auditorium at the oldest building on Clemson University’s campus, Tillman Hall. The auditorium became known as Memorial Auditorium and was originally purposed as a chapel, built in 1891 along with the rest of Tillman Hall. The chapel was renovated in 1980 and its purpose officially changed to an auditorium to host lectures and performances. Now, nearly fifty years later, the recently completed renovation of the auditorium is a perfect mix of modern technologies and restoration of the elements of the original chapel, such as exposed structural columns with a recreated specialty column wrap and original wood wainscoating and trim pieces.
The project consisted of the salvage and reinstallation of several precious wood elements around the facility. Harper also took extra precautions to protect in place several retained historical finishes, such as the original brick and terrazo tile. While protecting and maintaining all of these historical finishes, Harper also had to abate the auditorium and complete the heavy demolition of concrete and steel to replace all of the seating risers with a new design concept. Four original cast iron columns, supporting the roof trusses, were replaced with structural steel. The exposed scissor trusses remained in place while Harper replaced all of the bead board ceilings with new acoustical bead board material. The acoustics of the space were further improved by installing new acoustical drywall and also replacing several of the existing plaster walls with a new acoustical plaster. Two new HVAC units were installed to improve the airflow in the auditorium. Modern lighting and electronics, along with three new large monolith projection screens were installed to create a state of the art auditorium for lectures and events. A new, sloped seating area and stage was built for accommodate over 600 students, retaining the title of the largest auditorium space on Clemson’s campus.
Awards:
NDA Demolition Magazine 2025 Excellence in Demolition Award for Category 1
Watch our video to hear about how we brought this auditorium back to life.
