The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project

President's Home

Click on image titles for larger views.

Institution Name: Wofford College
Original/Historic Place Name: Faculty Home
Location on Campus: College Dr. (429 N. Church St., Spartanburg, SC 29303-3663)
Date(s) of Construction:

1911	original construction
2000	renovation McMillan, Smith & Partners

Designer: unknown; McMillan, Smith & Partners (2000)
Type of Place: Individual building
Style: Colonial revival (Glossary)
Significance:
Narrative: see below
References: see below

Materials:

Foundation:

Walls: wood frame, painted white

Roof:

Function:

1911-1942	private residence
1942-present (2006)	president's house

Narrative:
Professor Coleman B. "Frog" Waller, who wanted to live on campus, built this house in 1911 under a lifetime occupancy agreement with the college. It was designated as the president's home in 1942. The original president's mansion, which stood on land eventually sold to the Clinchfield Railroad south and east of the campus, was demolished in the 1920s.

In its 150 year history, Wofford has had only ten presidents, and six have lived in this house: Walter K. Greene (1941-1951); Francis Pendleton Gaines (1952-1957); Charles F. Marsh (1958-1968); Paul Hardin III (1968-1972); Joab M. Lesesne Jr. (1972-2000); and Benjamin Bernard Dunlap (2000- ).

The President's home was completely renovated in 2000 (with some minor changes to the interior and exterior) under the supervision of the Spartanburg architectural firm McMillan, Smith & Partners.

References:

Brabham, William H. Wofford College Historic District. National Register of Historic Places designation report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior/National Park Service, 1974.

Wallace, David Duncan. The History of Wofford College, 1854-1949. Nashville, TN: Vanderbilt University Press, 1951.