Ground was broken on April 6, 1964, for Cumberland Hall, an eight-story structure designed to house 698 students, which opened in September 1965 as a women’s residence hall. Barber & McMurray was the facility’s architectural firm and V. L. Nicholson Company of Knoxville was the contractor. The cost of the facility was $2,750,000. The completely air-conditioned building featured suite-type living quarters.
In November 1966 the UT Trustees renamed the building Frank G. Clement Hall, honoring Tennessee Governor Frank Goad Clement (1920–69), who served from 1953 to 1959 and from 1963 to 1967. Also in 1966, beautification of the lawn in front of the dormitory was announced as the first phase of a massive campus beautification project. The plan for the dormitory’s lawn included a sunken terrace with shrubbery, flower beds, and redwood benches. The terrace was enclosed with low-brick and concrete walls; ornamental light poles were also added. The cost of the beautification of the lawn was $25,000.
The residence hall was known as Frank’s Place by the students after its renaming. It became coed in 1970.
Clement was closed following the spring 2014 semester for a year to allow a $3 million renovation. The renovation involved making improvements to meet current fire codes and to address some preventive maintenance problems, repainting, improving flooring and carpets, improving disability accommodations, and reconfiguring the basement space into a tutoring and academic resource space.