Chi Omega - University of California, Berkeley

3 CHI OMEGA O nce upon a time, the Chi Omega chapter house had a rose garden. It was behind the original structure at 2421 Piedmont Avenue and extended to Warring Avenue. Long-time corporation board volunteers, Vonie Marsh Dondero '49 and Mary Lou Willis Berg '49, remember it. In 1954, it was decided that a new wing was needed to provide 14 additional bedrooms, public gathering space, and a parking lot, but the only location possible for this addition was where the rose garden grew. After the renovation, Mu chapter thereafter enjoyed outdoor living on the gracious brick front porch and lawn that sweeps down to Piedmont Avenue, albeit with a lack of privacy. Vonie and Mary Lou remember looking out to the south side of the lot from the dining room, fern room (formerly the card game room), and living room to an undeveloped area, primarily used as a short cut by students between Warring and Piedmont. Once they were on the house corporation board, they agreed that something really ought to be done there—this was more than 40 years ago. In 1981, our landscape architect, Lawrence Wight, drew a concept of the redevelopment of the front areas, which included a three-tiered deck and patio on the south side. However, other renovations took precedence: kitchen and dining room remodels, fire suppression sprinklers, Internet systems installations, and endless repairs and replacements. For Dee Hawk Pearce '63, the dream of having a wonderful private outdoor living space never died. The need became more compelling when the Panhellenic Council determined that our front porch and lawn were too exposed to be used for recruitment activities. Over the past four years, Dee promoted and upheld the vision, Lawrence Wight was engaged to redesign the concept, the house corporation got on board, and plans were made to have the deck built in 2013. We applied for a permit to remove the old adjacent oak tree and a long process began with the City of Berkeley Urban Forestry Department, resulting in multiple arborists' involvement and redesign of the deck to accommodate the tree. Then ensued structural engineering, proposals from many contractors, re-assessment of our resources, engagement of Morimoto Matano Kang Architects, and requests for proposals to many builder contractors. Ultimately, we selected Conscious Construction and employed Allison Sutherland and Jon Schmidt, our interior designers, to acquire fern room lighting and outdoor furniture, and went door-to-door to gain approval for our plans from neighboring property owners. We did all that we could to ensure that work began on May 18, 2015, and was substantially completed by July 31 to prepare the chapter house for the undergraduate women who returned on August 16. The result is a wonderful outdoor space, which supports sisterhood in many ways. We sincerely thank all who donated their time, those whom we employed, and all who went beyond our expectations to make this dream a reality. We hope every Mu alumna visits and enjoys the renovation, and that every active member is creating memories, which will remind her that Chi Omega membership is for life. Be on the lookout for future updates about phase 2 of this project. Helen Nicholas, Psi Theta '67 President, Chi Omega Association (510) 504-7986 hnicholas@apr.com New Deck Becomes a Reality House Corporation Renovates Outdoor Space for Chapter Alexandra Origenes '15 and Lizzy Rothstein '15 with the "sacred Oak" on the new deck during house tours day of formal recruitment. Views of the new deck, which run the length of the dining room, fern room, and chapter room. Chapter Officers President Chloe Virgil '14 Laguna Niguel, Calif. chloevirgil@berkeley.edu (949) 228-7519 Vice President of Scholarship Emma Fisher '14 San Gabriel, Calif. Treasurer Jenna Feraud '14 Encino, Calif. Secretary Taylor Andelman '14 Fullerton, Calif. New Member Educator Clara Murphy '14 Moss Beach, Calif. Personnel Chairman Sarah Whitelock '13 San Diego, Calif. Recruitment Chairman Stacy Kellner '14 Colorado Springs, Colo. sskellner@berkeley.edu (719) 439-4111 Panhellenic Delegate Emma Fine '13 Denver, Colo. Facilities Manager Kayla Stafford '14 Valencia, Calif.

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