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August 18, 2012

ISU fraternity opens new $3.3M house

Structure north of campus is prototype for others to follow

Sue Loughlin The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — From the sculpted marble lions out front, to the inlaid coat of arms on the entryway floor, the new Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house at Fifth and Locust streets is a class act.

The Indiana State University SAE chapter, called Indiana Sigma, unveiled the new fraternity house during a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday. Total project costs, including construction, came to $3.3 million.

The three-story, brick-covered building has 12,000-square-feet and was constructed in less than six months.

“Everyone is astonished by it,” said James Gardner, an ISU junior and the chapter president.

The house is a milestone for both the chapter and the national SAE financial and housing corporation, he said. “This is the first house they’ve ever built from the ground up,” Gardner said.

It is a prototype for new fraternity houses to follow, including one that will be built at Indiana University, said Michael S. Rodgers, board president of SAE Financial and Housing Corp., which owns and operates the  house at 831 N. Fifth St.

The financial and housing corporation obtained financing for the project, with the Indiana Sigma (ISU) Alumni Association asked to raise $450,000. The mortgage will be paid through rent paid by fraternity members.

The fraternity house has 36 bedrooms and 40 beds and wireless Internet access. A television in the library can be used for teleconferencing and powerpoint presentations. A dining room and kitchen can serve more than 60 people at each meal seven days a week.

The house also has 16 security cameras both inside and out as well as a full-time house director who will live in an apartment beside the house.

Kuo Diedrich, which designs clubhouses for golfers, served as architect for the project, which also involved an interior designer. The house includes much artwork. “We wanted to create an environment our residents will respect,” Rodgers said.

Smaller bedrooms are intended for quiet study, and common areas are for socializing.

Integra Construction was the contractor.

During the ribbon-cutting, Rodgers presented a ceremonial key on a plaque to Gardner, and had the ISU chapter president read the last line, which stated, “May every member leave this house better than they found it.”

Rodgers pledged, “I’ll come back every year and make sure you left it better than you found it.”

Those attending the opening included Indiana Sigma members and alumni, ISU officials as well representatives of other ISU Greek organizations.

“It’s a wonderful addition to the campus community,” said ISU president Dan Bradley. “I think it says a lot about the SAE organization both locally and nationally to get this project accomplished. It raises the bar. I hope some of the other fraternities look at this and say, we can do that, too.”

Also speaking was Mayor Duke Bennett, who described the fraternity house as “a great addition to this area and to the community.”

Since its founding on Oct. 25, 1969, the Indiana Sigma Chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon has been housed in a number of properties, including 1320 S. Sixth St., 510 S. Fifth St. and more recently in ISU housing.

Efforts to finance and build a permanent home have been ongoing for years. Chris Hancock, Class of 1996 and member of the Indiana Sigma alumni association board, was an ISU undergraduate when the process started. Alumni are close to reaching their $450,000 fund-raising target, he said.

The completed fraternity house “is beyond our wildest dreams,” Hancock said. “We’re thrilled with it.”

Kevin Meyer, an ISU junior, will be living in the new fraternity house. “I love it,” he said. It has  the little touches “that make a house a home.”

Fraternity members plan to “do our best” to take care of their new home, he said.

Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin@tribstar.com.

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