Sigma Chi - University of Virginia

The Constantine Sig In the fall of 2008, Thomas Hall's "Commission" reported to the Psi House Corporation Board that the consensus among Psi Alumni was to remain at 608 Preston Place. For those many Psi Alumni who harbored fond memories of Psi fraternity life, the House was, and still is, an integral if not inseparable part of those memories. To accomplish an extensive expansion/ renovation of the House, many obstacles had to be overcome, including but not limited to the following: lack of active communication with Psi Alumni; neighborhood concerns over noise, trash, traffic issues; seemingly diminished University administration support for Greeks; lack of a clear picture of how 608 could be transformed; necessary fundraising to obtain the enormous amount of needed funds; and approval by Charlottesville's Board of Architectural Review (BAR) for expansion of a dwelling in the designated "Historic District." Among other actions, the obstacles cited above were overcome by expanding the House Corporation Board, hiring a professional fundraising consultant, obtaining the services of an attorney specializing in land planning, improving neighborhood relations, and engaging an architectural firm which produced an excellent product. The BAR gave final approval of the plans in 2014. It is somewhat easy to cite the objective problems and how each was addressed and eventually solved. It is more difficult to explain what motivated Psi Brothers, both Alumni and Active, to engage in such a lengthy and demanding task considering the Alumni generally will only enjoy the House during meetings and Homecoming events. I can only express my personal reasons for being involved. The fraternity life that I enjoyed was a large part of my positive University of Virginia experience. Sigma Chi gave this small-town Virginia boy, from a tiny public school, a place to feel at home. I formed lifelong friendships that survive to this day. Engagement in the rebuild project provided me the pleasure of renewing and strengthening old friendships and making dozens of new ones. Most of us appreciate that fraternity does not end upon graduation, but is alive and well and worth preserving. In Hoc, Jim "Chuck" Moore '68 jamoore46@charter.net THE DREAM (Continued from page 1) Rebuilding 608 B y late spring 2010, after 60 years of meritorious service as a fraternity house, the general condition of 608 had deteriorated to the extent it was no longer competitive with the University's better fraternity houses. In terms of modern living spaces, comfortable and single bedroom availability, adequate bathrooms, efficient heating and air conditioning, sanitary dining facilities, appropriately located and sized social spaces, and parking facilities for residents, it was woefully behind its Greek competitors and the commercial marketplace that was building new student housing throughout Charlottesville. The House Corporation, which had been considering options for several years, became actively engaged, and as reported in the spring 2011 Constantine Sig, an architecture firm was hired to create a design program to renovate and enlarge 608 and restore it as one of the very best fraternity houses at the University. The Charlottesville architecture firm of Mitchell Matthews worked with House Corporation members Don Sours '58, Jim Moore '68, Dick Dyas '67, Bret Holden '83, Mike Guthrie '75, Jeff Stith '81, Tom Washburn '70 and Steve Herbert '68 to form the Building Committee and developed plans that could be approved by the City of Charlottesville and built for a budget that aligned with the Capital Campaign goal of $2 million. Active Brothers Brian Ohlhausen '14, Michael Kreamer '15, David O'Hara '15, and Peter Wright '15 were also part of the team that shaped many of the design features of the plan. The most significant design element of the plan called for separating social spaces from living spaces—in other words, moving parties out of the old house and into new social spaces designed to direct energy and noise away from the street and front of the House. A new kitchen and dining room were also high on the active Brothers' list. The City of Charlottesville approved the plans in the spring of 2014, increasing the envisioned size of 608 from 6,587 to 11,642 square feet. To avoid having to shut down 608 for construction, a decision was made to do the work in two phases. Phase 1 was the addition of a new Chapter room (the Donlan-Kirwin Memorial Chapter Room), which is twice the size of the original Chapter room and features a side terrace (the Jim Evans Memorial Terrace) as well as the addition of a huge social space below with a rear facing outdoor terrace. The Building Committee solicited bids from general contractors for the work, and in March 2016 the House Corporation Board of Directors selected Bret Holden '83 and his firm, Faulkner Falls LLC, along with general contractor Gary Martin, as the winning team. Bret and Gary worked through an exciting year to build a handsome building whose design received high praise and unanimous approval from the City's Board of Architectural Review. 2

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