Exterior rendering
As you can see in the exterior rendering above, the façade of the new Gamma Iota Chapter house recalls the 1955 house with classic white brick, blue shutters, porch and balcony… as many of our alumnae and Deltas stated they wanted. A Memorial Garden is planned for the north part of the lawn, to remember our alumnae who have gone before.
We’re excited to share the plans for the interiors, developed by Kerry Spears Interiors with countless hours of guidance from alumnae Marian Ingman Close (Iota), ‘73 and Haile Dickert Ratliff, ‘08.
Upon entering the front doors, the Foyer opens up to the Grand Staircase with its double stairways to the second floor. Large, elegant rooms are on either side of the Foyer, where sisters can enjoy one another or host guests. One is the Lion Room, with lion-themed decor; the other is the Diamond room, with an elegant diamond shaped ceiling motif.
The spacious Dining Room seats close to 300, making seated meals possible again for the Deltas, and it will be a wonderful space for chapter meetings. A Dining Porch on the south side of the room provides outside seating. The first floor also includes updated rest rooms, a mail room, expanded kitchen and serving areas and a House Director’s suite.
Floorplan - 1st floor
The new Fishbowl (Study) is a comfortable “hang space” for sisters to enjoy one another while relaxing. An updated Exec Suite with a conference room is located on the south side. Two Quiet Study spaces are used for online exams. Thirteen bedrooms (all doubles), a President’s bedroom (single), bathrooms, storage and laundry complete the second floor. We recently completed Phase 2 of the construction, which added the Chapter Room.
The third floor houses a Computer Room for online classes or study, a Study Room and a Spirit Room for crafts and banner making (Study), two additional Quiet Study spaces, 19 bedrooms, a guest room, the kitchenette and baths. The Courtyard which had been on the initial second floor was relocated to the third floor when the Chapter Room was added in Phase 2. The materials from the original Courtyard (tiles, lighting, Lion Fountain etc.) were designed to be re-used in the new Courtyard.
3rd floor
The total cost of this project was approximately $9.5 million. Our financial analysis confirms that rents and parlor fees from the undergraduates cover most of the cost, but the participation of our alumnae to support our new home has made a significant difference. The Building On Excellence campaign raised $2.4 million from our alumnae and friends across the country. Thank You!