Why the $1.5 million makeover is a necessity, not an option!

Why did the Gamma Iota House Corporation choose to embark on such an ambitious renovation project? The short answer is that we have no choice if Sigma Nu hopes to remain a viable presence at the University of Kentucky in the 21st century.

Our house has served the fraternity well since its construction in the early 1960s. The English Tudor design retains its classic architectural beauty – so much so that last year Lexington’s new cable television provider displayed the structure in its advertising. There is general agreement on the UK campus that the Sigma Nu’s have by far the most beautiful and traditional-looking fraternity house.

Although the basic structure is strong, in other ways our well-built house is beginning to show its almost 50 years of age. For instance, building was designed for central air-conditioning, but none has ever been installed. The long lines of window units that protrude from bedrooms during the warmer months become architectural blemishes while leaving the rest of the house sweltering. The original heating system is being held together by bubblegum and baling wire. The kitchen retains most of its original furnishings. Ditto for the upstairs shower room. And the basement floods often enough that it has become virtually unusable.

The bedrooms, while perfectly functional for three in the days before refrigerators were reduced to dorm size and personal TVs became necessities, are now crowded for two men. The Chapter Room, which was never large enough, seems less able to accommodate the ever-increasing girth of subsequent generations of young men.

For several years, the chapter has had to require brothers to live at least one year of their membership in the house or buy their way out. And since officers must reside in the house, they mostly come from the ranks of sophomores and first-semester juniors because seniors already have met their residency obligations.

Rent collected from the active chapter is sufficient for us to provide general and cosmetic upkeep. But we simply are unable to pool enough resources to undertake any major structural or infrastructural changes.

In our view, the alternatives to restoring the fraternity house to serve contemporary collegians are the continued deterioration of our beloved structure and the ultimate demise of Sigma Nu at the University of Kentucky.

It is a labor of love for all of us who serve on the House Corporation because each of us recalls the days we lived here as some of the most cherished times of our collegiate careers. We appeal to those of our Gamma Iota brothers who feel the same way to help us to restore our house to its original glory and preserve the chapter’s proud tradition of excellence.

Fraternally,
Mike Herndon (GI 883), President
Gamma Iota House Corporation