This article announced the opening of the Chapter House at 1601 Washtenaw. It was published in the Febuary 1927 Purple, Green and Gold, the official magazine of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity. The accompanying photos were published with the story.

Sigma Realizes House Dreams
by Louis F. Knoepp, Michigan

ANOTHER Western Conference Zeta, Sigma at the University of Michigan, has added to the list of Lambda Chi Alpha owned properties a dignified, well appearing, and commodious chapter house especially constructed for it.

The new home, which is situated at 1601 Washtenaw Ave., on an 125 x 185 foot corner lot, fulfills the most sanguine expectations of optimistic Sigma alumni. The house, which has been built with the idea that it will serve as the permanent home of the undergraduate Lambda Chi Alpha unit in Ann Arbor, compares favorably with other chapter houses at the institution, which is noted for the beauty and general excellence of its fraternity dwellings.

The house, which is of a combination of American and empire design, is 50x75 feet, and has been designed to accommodate thirty-six men — more can, and probably will, be quartered therein without crowding. The exterior is of dull red brick, and a terrace extends from the north side. The roof is of slate, and the drain pipes are of twisted native copper.

The location is an admirable one, the lot being highly-desirable and quite valuable because of its position in relation to the university and other fraternity residences

Four large rooms and a reception hall are on the first floor. Entering from the front one finds a wrought iron staircase with ozite-padded runners. A grandfather's clock is noticed in a nearby corner, while a hallway leads to the back entrance of the house. Adjoining the reception hall on the north side is a large living room. Here one may find the ivory-colored French doors leading out to the terrace and varied woodwork, wall-panel designs. The lighting fixtures are all of the latest design, and the ceiling is a form of decorative white plaster.

ATTRACTIVE PAINTING

One of the most valued and interesting features of the living room is a large oil mural painting above the fireplace. This is the work of Myron B. Chapin, a member of the Chicago Zeta, who is a professor in the architectural college. The dabs in oil carry somewhat of a legend; they portray the students' life while at the university. The left hand side of the painting shows the new Sigma house, with the juniors engaged in their various activities. Then one finds the seniors in their caps and gowns walking out to the ship that carries them o'er the sea of life. The sophomores are next noticed at the Temple of Knowledge, and on the extreme right one finds the Michigan Union in full view, with the freshmen in their games around a bonfire. The colors are exceptionally-well toned, the foliage of the trees blending softly with the clouds about them, A setting sun adds a tint of pink to the blue horizon, where the white-tipped sails of a sloop may be seen anchored in the bay.

On the opposite side of the reception hall is the music room. This is done in much the same type of design as the living room, but on a slightly smaller scale. Here one finds a baby grand piano in one corner and an orthorhombic victrola opposite. Soft tapestry-covered lounges lend an atmosphere of comfort, and a large fireplace, with the Fraternity shield above, occupies another corner. Among other features is a beamed ceiling in white plaster.

GUEST ROOM ON FIRST FLOOR

To the rear of the music room is the guest room, with a bath adjoining, and a clothes closet. The room is toned in a pale green, with lighting fixtures especially designed for this type of room. A card room and a cloak room occupy the remainder of the first floor, these being situated in the back-center of the house. A large propeller decorates the wall, while in the hall nearby is a large mirror, with the Fraternity seal color-etched in it.

The floors on this floor are of oak, as they are throughout, except in the basement. The woodwork is finished in an ivory white. All rugs are furnished with ozite padding. They cover every room and every hallway. Special drapes were selected for the first floor by Brother Chapin; curtain rods of unique design were chosen to match. The lighting fixtures are of special design, those on the first floor being of triple-plated silver. There are ample electric flush plates for floor lamps and lighting fixtures that may be used from time to time. The building has been made sound proof throughout.

A wrought iron staircase leads from the first floor to a spacious hallway on the second floor, there being also a fireproof staircase in the rear. There are eight study rooms on the second floor, all with built-in closets and wardrobes. A large bathroom and linen closet are reached by a center hall, and two more stairways lead to the third floor.

This floor contains four study rooms, a bathroom, and two dormitories, which accommodate at least forty men. Double-decker beds are used in both. It is possible, and expected to be the custom, to have one of the dormitories well opened for the lovers of fresh air and the other well ventilated but more closed for those who like warmer rooms. All of the study rooms will accommodate three men.

The dining room, which is in the basement, is decorated in pale green, and has a floor of marbleized cement. Forty-two persons can be accommodated at the three large oak tables used regularly, although a fourth table provides space for twelve more persons. The walls contain the portraits of all varsity letter men in the chapter, while other trinkets, such as ship models, bedeck the threshold.

Floors of all basement rooms, as in the dining room, are of marbleized cement, while window lights are provided throughout this floor. The kitchen contains a cold pantry and a dish washing room, cupboards being conveniently located in both. Opposite the dining room is a chapter room, a boiler room, and quarters for the cook and porter, including a bathroom. The coal room will hold a half carload of coal; the furnace room is furnished with a water softener and an instantaneous heater. The kitchen is also equipped with a large modern gas range, which contains an oven, broiler, toaster, warmers, and ten burners.

LONG AMBITIONS

Sigma, one of the earliest house owners in the Fraternity, has for years been thinking of a new house, and there had been for some time an understanding that the chapter had outgrown its old frame dwelling at 1511 Washtenaw Ave, It was not, however, until 1923 that the demand became particularly urgent for a change in quarters from the old house, which had accommodated some twenty members.

The advancement made by other fraternity chapters on the Michigan campus necessitated Sigma's giving serious attention to the problems incident to obtaining better living quarters, so that the Zeta might remain in competition with the first class chapters of the institution. Charles R. Perry, '25, was one of the first proponents of the plan for early action, but little success was achieved on a trip which he made with several other undergraduates to Detroit for consultation with the chapter's alumni (living there. The reins were then grasped also by Clifford Pratt, who, after two visits to Robert Albertson, Sigma alumnus, finally received some encouragement.

Soon after this opportunity was presented to the Zeta to sell its old house to Delta Omicron, musical sorority, for $25,000, and the deal was quickly closed. In the meantime the Detroit alumni, now fully awakened to the urgent need for a better home, had selected one of the most beautiful and valuable sites in town for the proposed house—not quite a block from the location of the old residence.