There is a history behind the exterior of the University’s new real estate acquisition, soon to be used for office space.
The University of Oregon Foundation purchased the former Lambda Chi Alpha house that sits at East 15th Avenue and Alder Street. The foundation now shares a “master lease” with the University, allowing the University to use the property as a “surge space” during construction projects.
This particular surge space will be utilized while the University renovates the music and education buildings.
“As needed during those two construction projects, (the University will) temporarily house some University of Oregon employees in there as their space is being renovated or newly constructed,” said Brian Smith, assistant vice president for administration. Smith said that before offices start moving into the house, it will have to be made suitable.
The mission of the University Foundation, an organization independent of the University itself, is “to support and assist the University in its activities by management and administration of Foundation assets representing privately donated funds, and by leading advocacy for the University.”
In the past, the foundation has contributed to building improvement projects. Some improvement is definitely in order for this purchase.
The fraternity was forced to move out of its former house after it lost insurance when Lambda Chi Alpha International suspended its affiliation. The international umbrella organization called the University chapter “inactive,” so the University stopped endorsing the chapter until it found a new place to live at the request of the international organization.
“The insurance company that does all the liability insurance for the national fraternity came to the decision that they were no longer willing to insure our chapter to be in that house,” said Lambda Chi Alpha Treasurer Erik Higgins. “Since they do all the insurance for all of the Lambda Chi chapters nationally, they carry quite a bit of weight in their decision.”
A move was definitely in order; besides the obvious need for insurance, the old house was dilapidated, with dry wall and mold problems.
“Because our landowner didn’t take care of the house there were some structural problems,” said Lambda Chi Alpha House and Risk Manager Ben Florsheim. He said that had the chapter attempted to repair the house, it would have cost much more than moving because the entire house would have to be gutted for mold. He also said a fire sprinkler went off before they came to the house and flooded it.
After much brainstorming and exploring, the chapter ended up moving to a house on East 18th Avenue and Onyx Street.
Higgins doesn’t hold the University responsible for anything. He said the process was exclusively between Lambda Chi Alpha International and the University chapter.
“Directly the University had nothing to do with the move,” he said. “That indirectly had to happen because we were already in suspension with our national fraternity. They had already suspended us so subsequently the University had no choice.”
Higgins said that when a chapter moves into a new house, it loses part of its identity because so many chapter members have come into and left the house over the years.
“The chapter itself didn’t change a whole lot but the house itself is sort of a foundation,” Higgins said. “There’s still a connection, but not the same connection because (members) can’t walk down they halls and say ‘this was So-and-So’s room’ and that kind of thing.”
But the fraternity members will have to say their good-byes soon. The College of Education is in the pre-construction phase, and construction bids for the School of Music project will open March 29.
After that, the old Lambda Chi Alpha house will turn into just another office building.
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