Groundbreaking for Kappa Sigma’s new house began at a ceremony Oct. 21 on Dalrymple Drive.
After a house inspection in August 2015, the house was deemed unsuitable to live in. The 1930s fraternal abode suffered from foundational and structural damage.
Alumni leadership, concerned about the building’s condition and high repair and maintenance costs, formed the House Steering Commission in 2013 to create and carry out a long-term plan for a house on campus.
“This will be the first in a new generation, hopefully, of fraternity houses so we can at least be in the same ballgame as the sororities that have all these great houses along the way for decades,” said House Steering Commission member Roger Ogden in a video.
The new 22,000 square foot house will be large enough to house 52 men, with the project estimated to cost more than $7 million. The fraternity raised a total of $6.4 million as of November 2016.
Ogden urges for more donations to be made from former Kappa Sigma members to complete their remaining goal of $500,000.
Donations ranged from less than $1,000 to $1,000,000 from current members and alumni of Kappa Sigma.
Milton J. Womack Contractors and the Bani, Carville & Brown architectural firm were chosen to construct the new facility.
“While we still have some work left to do, the finish line is near,” said Michael Busada, House Steering Commission co-chairman.
Draft plans include an entry crest, 32 bedrooms, energy efficient housing, sleeping a minimum of 45 men, a full-service kitchen and large dining hall, a Housemother’s suite, a library and study room and an external courtyard patio for private gatherings.
The new house will have three stories and construction should take around 18 months.