With five Cribs down, there are still plenty more Greek houses to tour! Students, alumnae, friends and family have enjoyed seeing what is inside these fraternity and sorority houses that are being thrown up on campus. With many requests and eagerness, The Odyssey would like to introduce the next house -- Delta Delta Delta!
Tri Delt was founded at the
University of Alabama in 1914 and will be celebrating their 100th
birthday this year. Taking a look back through those 100 years, Tri Delt first
moved into a white, two-story house in 1923 that was later rebuilt around 1960.
Their second house was known as “the round house,” that was famous for its
circular shape. After outgrowth and other issues in the round house, the
sorority has moved locations to the new Delta Row where their house stands
miraculously at 40,000 square feet!
The members of Tri Delt loved their historical round house,
but as time passed and the growth of the campus continued, it was time to build
a new home. The Odyssey asked the president of Delta Delta Delta, Patricia
Stutts, what were some of the issues concerning the choice to move? Stutts
said safety was one of the primary reasons. “We could not have
chapter meetings without breaking the fire code, we didn't meet handicap
accessibility requirements, and our plumbing, electrical, and heating systems
were outdated. We also wanted to increase participation; our old house did not
have the amenities to comfortably allow room for meetings, meals, and events.”
Stutts also explained that during recruitment in the round house, the
performance was challenging due to limited space and the members wanted an
impressive house to be proud of. In order to have a house that fit all of their
needs, there was no another option, but to move locations. The women were
disappointed to leave the round house, but from a fiscal, structural, and
architectural perspective, building a house in a new location made the most
sense.
With the list of space, recruitment and safety issues, the
alumnae began researching available space and construction options for a new house. Once the research process was
complete, the alumnae were able to have Delta Delta Delta in a good position to
begin. In order to finance the new house, the sorority sold the round house to
the University of Alabama, which helped offset the construction costs. The
chapter also kicked off a huge capital campaign to help raise funding
for the new house. Stutts noted that the sorority was very lucky to have warm
supportive and enthusiasm from alumnae that were willing to donate.
With much anticipation for 1.5 years, the construction
process was finally complete in April of 2013! The house includes four floors:
a basement, main floor, and two residential floors. The main floor is used for
dining and entertaining where one of the greatest features of the house is
located -- the dining room. “The
real nod to our beloved round house is the clerestory in our dining room. It
adds a special, yet subtle way to remember our old house while also adding lots
of light to the room.” The unique house has a lot of meaningful insights, like the dining room and even the arches on the front of the house. The three arches are a special
design for Delta Delta Delta because the number three is very significant to the
sorority.
UA
Cribs is always curious about the cost of membership dues increasing, along
with the demand for new members to fill the house. Tri Delta found it important
that the burden of the cost of the house should not rest solely on current
members. The membership dues have increased to live in the house, but not
significantly. As far as recruiting new members to fill the house, Stutts
commented, “the exciting prospect of living in a such a beautiful new house has
allowed us to easily fill all of the available rooms. We have had waiting lists
to get in the house both years, which is a very nice problem to have. I think
that is a testament to the outstanding job that our house corporation did with
the house design and speaks volumes about our chapter that we have girls who
still want to be so involved as juniors and seniors.”
Since
the women of Tri Delta have moved into their new home, the house has given them
amenities to capitalize the strong sisterhood that was already established.
There are no longer issues of having to rent off-campus locations to host events and, now, all the women can eat in the same room for dinner in the miraculous
dining room. This has impacted the influence of the women wanting to spend time
together in the house and has allowed friendships to grow even greater.
This
new house has also positively affected the alumnae. Raising money for the new
house allowed them to reconnect and feel involved with Tri Delta
again. Stutts said, “This house was an incredible investment for our
chapter, and it is a testament to the strong future of our chapter on this
campus. We're hoping for another 100 years on campus!”
To recommend a sorority or fraternity house for the next feature on UA Cribs, hashtag us at #UACribs #bamaodyssey on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook! We would love to hear feedback and receive interests for the next crib! Remember, all UA Crib articles are on our website: theodysseyonline.com so be sure to share your crib on social media!