Sigma Chi - University of Virginia

Psi Chapter: Honoring Our Past, Building Our Future Psi Chapter of Sigma Chi at the University of Virginia • Fall 2019 PHASE 2 SET FOR 2020 START New Kitchen to Be Dedicated in Memory of Beatrice Davenport W e are pleased to announce that the City of Charlottesville has finished its review and approved our plans to build Phase 2 of our work at 608 Preston Place. A contract has been signed with Martin Horn, a major Charlottesville construction company, to build the project which is designed to be completed over one or two summer periods, depending on the funding plan selected by the Board of Directors. This phase focuses on the living spaces in 608 and includes a new kitchen and dining facility, new heating and air conditioning systems, new bathrooms, and new life safety systems, including fire protection alarms and sprinkler systems. An addition to the rear of the building will include new single bedrooms and a new fire escape stairway. When complete, the project will provide bedrooms for up to 24 Brothers with living accommodations that will rival those available in the best student apartments being constructed in Charlottesville—a goal of the Board of Directors when they approved the plans nearly two years ago. The illustrations in this issue provide a look at renderings of the new dining room and kitchen, and a look at the architects elevations of the addition a from the rear side of the house. The City of Charlottesville Board of Architectural Review commended our efforts to design a modern building plan that fits with the character of the historic neighborhood in which it resides. This was also the case with the new Chapter Room addition (Phase 1) and reflects the intent of the Board of Directors to totally rebuild and modernize 608 in a way that honors the classic architecture of the original 1922 structure. Of special note in Phase 2 is the return of a dining room and kitchen on the first floor. For years, Brothers ate lunch and dinner in the dining room, and this sharing of meals together fostered a sense of Brotherhood and fellowship that the current Brothers would like to see return. Another feature that many Brothers remember is a cook named Beatrice Davenport. By unofficial estimate, she provided meals at 608 from the late '50s until the mid to late '70s. She was assisted (Continued on page 2) New Dining and Kitchen Facility.

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