Our Roots Run Deep

The Mathis Apartments date to 1948, when UGA was going through an unprecedented increase in enrollment.

After World War II, The Mathis Construction company built the Mathis apartments to meet the needs of additional housing in Athens.

UGA enrollment had dropped from an all-time high of 3,735 in 1939 to just 1,836 as World War II wound down in 1944. But by 1948, when the three Mathis Apartments buildings were built, UGA enrollment had quadrupled to 7,846 as soldiers came back from the war and took advantage of the federal GI bill that helped millions of veterans go to college.

Clarke County was also growing fast with 36,550 people in 1950, up nearly 29% from 28,398 in 1940.

– Athens Banner Herald