S I G M A K A P P A T R I A N G L E
SUMMER 2017
3
Sigma Kappa
T
he University of Florida began admitting female full-time students
in 1947, and by 1949, 11 sororities had established chapters. One of
the original 11, Beta Tau Chapter of Sigma Kappa received their charter
in 1949 and celebrated the opening of their first house in 1955 […],
designed to accommodate then-average chapter sizes of 10-25 women.
Located at 1108 E. Panhellenic Drive, the house served the chapter
well for more than 60 years. In recent years, however, as chapter sizes
ballooned to well-over 250 women, it was evident that despite interior
renovations, the house could no longer comfortably accommodate the
needs of the growing chapter. […] The original two-story house was
demolished in October 2015, making way for the construction of a
three-story, 25,300-square-foot house, built at a cost of $6.2 million.
[…] [The] red brick and cast stone Greek revival-style house sits on a
corner lot and has three inviting facades to greet onlookers. The main
entry welcomes members and guests to a two-story porch fitted with a
Juliet balcony and a pair of classic porch swings.
A 2024 UPDATE
In 2014, Jennifer Grinnan Lyons '04, then Corporation
Board president, led the team of alumnae and active sisters
who first envisioned, raised, and secured funding, and
contracted the build of our current chapter house. Ten
years later, she looks back on those efforts as "very much
a labor of love. We cared about spaces being functional,
aesthetically pleasing, and enjoyable for future sisters to
love being in, grow, and thrive there." That goal became
a reality and a guiding principle as the Corporation Board
explores future house updates and renovations.
Beta
Tau
Eras
Tour:
1980s
By Susan Etheridge Hadden, Epsilon Epsilon