The big move to Dyer Street (Photo by Austin Kilgore, The Daily Campus)

In with the new . . .

Pi Kappa Alpha, once the only fraternity house on Dyer Street, now has two new Greeks on the block: Lambda Chi Alpha and Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

The two fraternities have not had a new house in more than 50 years.

“I think they’re [the new houses] both beautiful,” said Doug Hallenbeck, director of Residence Life and Student Housing. “And they’ll be a benefit for the campus Greek system.”

It took the contractors Ray F. Skiles Company 10 months to build the two 20,000 square feet fraternity houses, according to Roy Kull, the project manager of Campus Planning and Plant Operations.

The new houses sit at the end of Dyer Street, a few hundred yards from the Pi Kappa Alpha house and the Service House.

Dallas-based architectural firms Selzer and Associates designed the SAE house, and Good Fulton and Farrell designed the Lambda Chi house.

Keeping with university tradition, the houses’ red bricks and white columns reflect the campus’ Georgiana architectural look. Though the houses appear to be mirror images of each other, each has its unique flair.

SAE

The SAE house has kept its trademark lion statues, which identify it as the house facing north (the one on the right).

One drastic difference between the Binkley Avenue house and the Dyer Street house is the size. The new house sleeps 46 brothers, and it is twice the size of the old house. The old SAE house had 30 rooms with two brothers to a room.

On Nov. 6, the members hosted an open house welcoming alumni and friends into their new home.

SAE chapter president Tyler Boone said he and his chapter are pleased with the new house.

“It’s a better-looking place,” Boone said. “It will be an asset for rush and in general. It will also help people’s perception of the fraternity.”

Lambda Chi

Though Lambda Chi members moved into their new house about three weeks ago, some members cannot help but point out the startling differences between the new house and the old one.

“It’s huge and it’s beautiful and it’s not falling apart,” junior journalism major Garrett Haake said.

The Lambda Chi chapter president, Eric Mangelsen, agreed. “It’s leaps and bounds nicer than our old place,” he said.

And, like the SAE house, the Lambda Chi house is much larger in size then its old place on Binkley Avenue, even though it sleeps fewer members.

The new Lambda Chi house can accommodate 34 brothers in its new suite style layout: two bedrooms joined by a common bathroom.

The old house slept 36 with community style bathrooms.

Oftentimes, more vacancies in a fraternity houses can pose rent concerns, and, if rooms are not filled, the empty rooms can become a financial burden for a fraternity, according to Mangelsen.

He said the slight decrease in the number of members the house can accommodate, in addition to the physical appeal of a new house, will “bring a want to live in the house,” a want he hopes will curb financial strains.

Finances and Ownership

Each house cost more than $3 million and was funded by both the university and the fraternities, according to Melanie Graves, who is the director of finances for student affairs.

Donnelly, whom the SAE house is dedicated to, helped raise more than $1.4 million dollars from alumni, according to Boone. “Alumni support for donations was unbelievable,” Boone said.

The Lambda Chi fraternity also received donations from alumni. Though the fraternities and the university worked together to raise money for the costs, the university has full ownership of the houses.

Currently, the only fraternity house not owned by the university is Sigma Chi, located at the corner of Airline Street and Binkley Avenue. Though the houses’ ownership has changed hands, Boone is not concerned.

“Maybe it would have mattered 20 years ago, but with all the university rules now, I don’t think it will make much difference,” Boone said.

And out with the old . . .

The old houses, now abandoned, sit adjacent to one another, facing north on Binkley Avenue, across the street from the Sigma Chi house.

According to Kull, the old houses, along with Letterman Hall, will be demolished next spring to make way for a parking garage.