A Legacy of Community and Connection: Exploring the History of Georgia Tech's Alumni House
Georgia Tech, founded in 1885 and opened in 1888, has a rich history woven into the fabric of its campus. From its humble beginnings with 87 students to its current enrollment of over 20,000, the Institute has always been a place where students forge lasting memories and connections. While academic rigor is a hallmark of the Georgia Tech experience - as the old saying goes, students often find themselves choosing between friends, sleep, and good grades - the importance of community and leisure has also played a significant role in shaping student life. This article explores the evolution of student gathering places at Georgia Tech, highlighting the historical significance of the L.W. "Chip" Robert, Jr. Alumni House and other campus hubs that have fostered a sense of belonging and tradition for generations of Yellow Jackets.
From YMCA to Alumni House: A Hub of Student Life
Before Georgia Tech had an official student center, the YMCA building on North Avenue served as a vital gathering place. Between 1912 and 1915, it became a focal point of campus life, housing everything from the offices of the Technique and the student yearbook to a barber shop, a lecture hall, and a space for religious and social gatherings. In fact, by 1915, Bible studies classes at the YMCA drew over 350 Tech students, nearly half of the undergraduate student body at the time.
The YMCA also played an unexpected role as a matchmaker. As Rayford Kytle, Jr., ChE 1936, noted in a Living History interview, students attended Tech Bible classes as a way to attract young ladies.
In 1979, the building was rededicated as the L.W. "Chip" Robert, Jr. Alumni House. At one time, the building housed every student organization on campus. The Glee Club, the oldest student organization on campus, practiced in its auditorium. The first DramaTech productions were held at the YMCA. Dances occurred on Fridays. Tech’s Camera Club had a darkroom in the basement. The ping-pong and pool tables were always in use. The Marching Band even practiced in the basement while the concrete stands of Grant Field were being built.
Extracurricular Activities and Social Gatherings
Outside of the YMCA, ballroom dances became so popular in 1912 that in December, school leaders had to limit the number of dances that each student organization could organize and required they end by midnight.
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While the YMCA was a hub for those who weren’t in Greek life, fraternities held unquestioned control over Student Government, the Technique, the Ramblin’ Reck Club, and nearly all aspects of Tech ‘traditions’ and extracurricular life. By 1966, the Blueprint, Tech’s student yearbook, declared fraternities the main source of entertainment for students.
Junior's Grill: A Legendary Campus Haunt
In 1975, Tommy Klemis, Cls 71, took over Junior’s Grill at the corner of Techwood Drive and North Avenue and later in the Bradley Building under Tech Tower. Klemis’ 36-year run as co-owner turned him into a beloved campus figure and Junior’s into a legendary campus haunt.
Ivey Laminack, Phys 79, says, “I remember one day Tom and I were talking, and he said, ‘Strange thing is, I never thought this would be, but Junior’s is turning into a social spot. Girls will come in and read a book. Guys come sit beside them and make small talk. It’s turned into a social institution.’”
Other Gathering Spots and Traditions
Now if pizza-not chicken tenders-was your goal, Laminack says you walked down North Avenue to M.J. Pippin for a Chicago-style deep-dish. “That was where I learned to love pizza. From the outfits on the pages of the 1980s Blueprint, Georgia Tech wasn’t saved from the ’80s fashion scene. For Jonathan Elmore, Arch 90, Grumpy’s, a bar near campus, was a favorite. “They would form a line out front, and it was always some football player at the door and then another football player or two at the bathroom door. You’d line up on the sidewalk, they’d open the door, and you had your money ready. It was like five bucks. Everybody would pile in and they would shut the front door.
In the 1990s, nothing beat going to an Atlanta Braves game. Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, their original Atlanta home, was only two miles from campus, and the team was in the midst of its greatest stretch in program history. For a few bucks, a student could sit in the upper deck and take in any number of MVPs and hall-of-famers-or if they were lucky, the 1995 World Series Championship. Between the Braves and Georgia Tech baseball’s run to the 1994 College World Series, the ’90s was a perfect decade for Tech students to spend free time at a baseball game.
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The Music Listening Room, located in Tech’s former Student Center, was beginning to be outdated by the early 2000s as using an mp3 player or laptop became a more popular way to access music. Still, it was a “loud, dark room” where students could go to listen to CDs or vinyl, says Matthew Robertson, CM 08, who worked in the Music Listening Room in the mid-2000s. “It was kind of the opposite of the library,” adds Robertson. It was one of the last places on campus where you could listen to a large library of physical music. Plus, it was an escape from the normal hustle of classes.
“There were different music stations that people could come listen to CDs or vinyl,” Robertson says. “People could request albums at the front counter and we would cue them up at one of the headphone listening stations around the room.
The Georgia Tech Alumni Association: Connecting Past and Present
The Georgia Tech Alumni Association is the official alumni association for the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). Originally known as the Georgia Tech National Alumni Association, it was chartered in June 1908 and incorporated in 1947. Its offices have been in the L. W. "Chip" Robert, Jr. Alumni House since 1979.
Its first presidents (starting in 1921) were William H. Glenn, followed by L. W. Robert, Jr. and Y. Frank Freeman. The current president of the alumni association is Dene Sheheane. Sheheane succeeds Joseph Irwin who previously held the position since 1999. Other notable presidents include Cherry L. Emerson, Bobby Jones, and Frank A. Hooper, Jr.
Georgia Tech was founded in 1885 and opened in 1888, and the first two graduates matriculated in 1890. Attempts at forming an alumni association had been made since 1896, until a charter was applied for by J. B. McCrary and William H. Glenn on June 28, 1906, and was approved two years later by Fulton County on June 20, 1908. The organization published its first annual report in 1908, but was largely dormant due to the pressures of World War I.
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In 1923, the alumni association created one of its most popular programs, an alumni placement service. In 1932, the service was reorganized and run by Dean George C. Griffin and Fred W. Also in 1947, the association polled all existing alumni on whether the school should change its name from the Georgia School of Technology to the Georgia Institute of Technology; the alumni voted 5,113 to 1,495 in favor of the change, a result that Georgia Tech president Blake R. Van Leer took to the Georgia Board of Regents to convince them to allow the name change. The alumni association (and association president Fred Storey in particular) was influential in the finding and selection of Georgia Tech president Edwin D. Harrison.
The alumni association produces a monthly magazine that chronicles the accomplishments of Georgia Tech, its faculty and its alumni. Initially founded in 1923 as the Georgia Tech Alumnus under editor Albert H. Staton, who left to work in industry; his place was taken by R. J. Thiesen who was editor of the magazine until 1951. In 1969, the publication had a circulation of 20,000. The publication is now the Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine. A companion publication to the Alumni Association Magazine was established in 1965 as a quarterly newsletter and named Tech Topics.
The President's House: A Place of Hospitality and History
The previous President’s House is hidden in plain sight on Georgia Tech’s campus, tucked away behind the BioQuad and the Ken Byers Tennis Complex, shielded by trees on all sides and a stone wall on 10th Street. It's a large, yet cozy space where ten presidents and interim presidents have resided, starting with Georgia Tech’s fifth president, Col. Blake R. Van Leer, and concluding with the Petersons. Before the 10th Street house, the original President’s House was located on North Ave. and was built by Tech’s second president, Lyman Hall. The North Ave. house was torn down after the tenure of Tech’s fourth president, Marion Brittain. When Van Leer became Tech’s fifth president in 1944, he and his wife, Ella Van Leer, lived on Clifton Road until the 10th Street house was completed in 1949.
The history of the former President’s Residence property can be traced back to before the Civil War. Abolitionist Solomon Landis built a house on the property in the late 1850s, before his family was forced to flee to Philadelphia during the war. The house was captured by the Union Army and torn down to use the wood to build a hospital north of the property. After the war, the Landis family returned and rebuilt the house (twice, due to a fire), before Fuller Callaway donated $100,000 to fund the construction of the current house. The purpose of the home was to provide the president of Georgia Tech and their family a place to live on campus rent-free.
The construction and design were heavily influenced by Tech’s First Lady Ella Van Leer, whose vision was to create a modern twist on a traditional Southern home. Ella held a master’s in architecture from the University of California. Because she was unlicensed, the architectural firm Toombs & Creighton, who were chosen by Callaway, are listed as the official designers of the house. The final design was a house large enough to host sizeable gatherings but simple enough that it could feel like a normal home.
A 1995 mural of Tech Tower Lawn, commissioned by President Emeritus G. Wayne Clough and First Lady Anne Clough, immediately greets visitors when they open the front door. The mural spans three walls and depicts scenes of campus buildings, civil engineers surveying land, students playing baseball, and even Tech’s best friend, Sideways the dog. A grandfather clock dating back to the 1790s, a gift from an alum, stands in the foyer. Past the foyer, the main floor includes a study, a living room painted in gold, a dining room painted in blue, and a large kitchen that expanded when the garage was added on. Over the years, the house has undergone changes from the original design and furniture has come and gone. A lap pool used by Tech’s ninth president, John Patrick Crecine, who was an avid swimmer, was installed and then eventually removed. A smaller pool off the courtyard remains today.
For more than seven decades, the President’s House has bestowed Tech’s hospitality to many of the Institute’s most distinguished guests of honor. The Petersons reflect on the countless gatherings and events they hosted in the house. “It’s special,” says President Peterson, leaning against the staircase. “It was special to be invited to the President’s House for an event.” Those guests included student leaders, newly tenured professors, Georgia governors, legislators, Regents, and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and many other special guests.
Today, Tech’s presidents no longer live in the house, due to a change in the University System of Georgia policy that requires university presidents to live off campus. While the house no longer serves as a residence for Tech presidents, it still serves as an infrequent event space. The location and deep connections to Tech’s history make the house a signature space to convene small gatherings or dinners with key stakeholders. The Georgia Tech Foundation is seeking donor support to renovate, update, and elevate the President’s House to further the facility’s promise as a hallowed event space that will build community and encourage fellowship. The planned renovations include making the property generally more accessible, adding a newly constructed library, and completing a kitchen renovation. The renovations will be funded by private philanthropy.
R.H.: A Legacy of Innovation in Student Housing
Built on a foundation of history and innovation, this off-campus student housing near Georgia Tech stands as a testament to the legacy of R.H., a "helluva engineer" from the Georgia Institute of Technology. In the 1970s, R.H. was a driven student at Georgia Tech, passionate about engineering and urban transformation.
Graduating with a degree in Civil Engineering, R.H. viewed Atlanta as a canvas ready for innovation. In 1975, he transformed an old, run-down warehouse into what is now a vibrant student rental property close to Georgia Tech. Where many saw a lost cause, R.H. saw potential.
Ahead of his time, R.H. emphasized sustainable development before it became a trend. His use of reclaimed materials, energy-efficient systems, and community-focused design set new standards. By the early 1980s, the transformation was complete, turning the warehouse into a sought-after residence for students, offering more than just a place to stay-a community where students could thrive.
R.H. was not only a visionary in urban development but also a savvy businessman. He successfully opened a chain of hardware stores in Atlanta, demonstrating his keen business acumen and further contributing to the city's growth. His stores became well-known for their quality and customer service, cementing his reputation as a multifaceted entrepreneur.
R.H.'s continuous innovation and dedication to sustainable, community-focused projects earned him respect and admiration throughout Atlanta. In 2023, the building was thoughtfully renovated by new owners, who are also proud Georgia Tech alumni. They revitalized the space with modern amenities while preserving its historical charm, ensuring it remains an ideal home for Georgia Tech students seeking off-campus apartments near Georgia Tech.
Today, this student rental honors R.H.’s vision and hard work. Each apartment reflects his commitment to quality and community, offering a unique and supportive living environment. This space embodies the best of what Georgia Tech students deserve, built on the dreams and dedication of one of the institute’s greatest pioneers and carefully maintained by fellow Georgia Tech alumni.
Here, history meets innovation, creating a home that stands as a proud part of R.H.’s enduring legacy.
Today's Georgia Tech: A Thriving Community
As campus grows, so do the ways students spend their free time. Today, Tech boasts 300-plus clubs and organizations for hobbies, cultural interests, arts, and athletics.
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