McClaren is best known for founding a hospital to treat African-American patients during the late Jim Crow Era.
McClaren graduated from Howard University Medical School in 1935 and practiced medicine in Greenville, South Carolina.
In the midst of the Jim Crow Era, McClaren spent $400 to purchase a property next to his home on Wardlaw Street,[1] additionally investing $15,000 to create a hospital to treat African-American patients.
The hospital building was relocated starting June 2020 over the course of several weeks to a location closer to a nearby intersection, to make room for the foundation for the development.
[4] As gentrification is a growing issue in Greenville,[5] the McClaren development aims to set aside a portion of the new units for affordable housings, targeting households earning between $30,000 and $60,000.