Zeta Psi fraternity, derecognized by the College in 2001, has started construction on its Webster Avenue house in preparations for potential re-recognition in fall 2009. Renovations to the fraternity's physical plant are one condition of its "dark period."
Zete's alumni association spent about 18 months working on new designs for the house, and began construction in September. The association hopes to complete the renovations by August 2009, according to Sean Regan '91, chair of the association's building committee. The group began "exploratory" work in July, investigating the house's foundation and structure. In the process, they discovered long-forgotten features of the building, including bureaus hidden by walls and unique artwork, Regan said.
"We found a mural of a medieval farmer, or some 16th-century guy smoking a long pipe," Regan said. "[Members] going back to the 1950s didn't know it was there, so it must have been painted in the '20s or '30s or '40s."
Zete's house, located at 8 Webster Ave., was built in 1927 by prominent architect Jens Frederick Larson, according to Regan. Larson constructed many of the houses on the left side of Webster Avenue.
"The right side [of the street] is 'eclectic,' but the left is all red brick and white columns -- Georgian," Regan said.
The Zete alumni association chose to restore the original appearance of the house's traditional Georgian faade, Regan said. The back of the house, however, will be completely demolished and rebuilt in order to comply with building codes.
The new house will include air conditioning, an expanded basement and large, single rooms clustered in suites, according to Regan. The new design will offer students more privacy, T. Clark Weymouth '79, president of Zete's alumni association, said.
"I think, probably, most importantly, it will be one of the only all-new fraternity construction projects on campus," he said. "For years, people have lived in houses built 50 years ago for the way college students lived 50 years ago."
Zete was derecognized by the College after the fraternity published an internal newspaper that mentioned "patented date-rape techniques."
In winter 2007, the chapter's alumni association agreed to undergo a dark period until fall 2009 as a precondition for re-recognition. Dartmouth also required that the organization's physical plant be brought up to building codes during this time, Weymouth said.
"In its old incarnation, the house had gotten pretty run-down, and it wasn't particularly well laid out," Weymouth said. "I really think we've come up with a design that will be user-friendly and attractive to today's undergrads."
The new house will also include an open porch and patio on the ground floor and additional stories above the kitchen and the left side of the house, nearest to Bones Gate fraternity. Zete's alumni association worked with the Town of Hanover to obtain zoning approval, Weymouth said.
Funding for the renovations came from private fundraising, mostly from a capital campaign organized by Zete's alumni association, Weymouth said.
The fraternity hopes to complete construction before fall 2009, when the organization plans on participating in fraternity rush as an interest group, another precondition of College recognition.
"We're happy construction has begun, and now we're racing to complete it before fall 2009 rush," Weymouth said.
