10
Urgent
I
n 1920, Brother Louis Janeck '19 (roster number 128) took on the task
of building a new home for Mu Chapter at 4554 19th Northeast. The
colonial-styled house with its brick face and commanding six white
pillars quickly became an idyllic icon of fraternities at the University
of Washington. Its impressive and large entry hall with its stately fire-
place, double staircase, and six white pillars mirroring those outside was
designed to boldly state to all that entered that "This is Alpha Sigma Phi …
a brotherhood as dynamic as the house it lives in."
This was nearly 100 years ago. Time has been a formidable nemesis to the
Old Gal. Her prominent roofline and fascia are rotting and falling from the
house. Its severely cracked foundation floods the basement and Chapter
room with one to two inches of water, requiring ugly plastic piping to be
installed around the house to drive damaging waters away. The dining
room floor, weakened by years and years of failing water pipes, is being
held up by special bracing in the boiler room. At best, the piping and house
water system is antiquated.
Old plastered ceilings and walls are collapsing
Unlike today's construction with drywall, the Old Gal's ceilings and
walls are hand applied plaster on thin 1-1/2 inch wide lattice strips. While
this was state-of-the-art in 1920, the integrity of this application has not
survived the test of time. Hall walls are bulging and in some cases disin-
tegrating. Ceiling are sagging and collapsing. The Old Gal's beautiful
Saving the Mu Chapter House
After Nearly 100 Years, the Chapter House Is Literally Collapsing
WASHINGTON
photos
by
Bob
Bronson
photo provided by Alpha Sigma Phi headquarters
