Chi Omega Chapter House

The Chi Omega Chapter House is a building built in 1927 on the campus of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.[2] The house is located at 940 West Maple in Fayetteville.[3][4]

Chi Omega Chapter House
Chi Omega House, 2011
Chi Omega Chapter House is located in Arkansas
Chi Omega Chapter House
Chi Omega Chapter House is located in the United States
Chi Omega Chapter House
Location940 Maple Street, Fayetteville, Arkansas
Coordinates36°4′13″N 94°10′24″W
Arealess than one acre
Built1927
Built byWages Brothers & James Dinwiddie
ArchitectCharles L. Ellis
Architectural styleClassical Revival
NRHP reference No.95000456[1]
Added to NRHPApril 20, 1995

History
See also: History of the University of Arkansas and Chi Omega

The University of Arkansas became Arkansas' land-grant university in 1871 when Old Main was constructed atop McIlroy Hill. Kappa Sigma was founded as the first fraternity at the university in 1890, and in 1895 the Chi Omega fraternity for women (today called sorority) was created.[a 1] The group bought Lot 12, Block 3 in the Oakland Place Addition in 1928, becoming the first Greek house to own campus property.

University building superintendent Charles L. Ellis was contacted to draw up plans for the house, and construction began in 1928. The contract was awarded to the Wages Brothers who worked with James Dinwiddle, an architect and Fayetteville building inspector.

Chi Omega has expanded onto the chapter house twice, first in 1941 and again in 1958. The first addition made it possible to house 75 members and a housemother. The 1958 addition expanded the kitchen and dining room and added more bathrooms, more bedrooms, a sun porch, a porte-cochère, a study room, an office, a recreation room, and a men's room.[2]

In 2016, Chi Omega removed the 1941 and 1958 editions as part of a restoration of the 1928 structure.[3][5] A new 9,000 square feet (840 m2) addition was added to the western side of the house, expanding its ground floor space and adding a roof deck.[3][4] In addition, the dining room and kitchen were expanded, along with a chapter room in the basement.[3] A patio was also added to the eastern side of the house.[3][4]

Architecture

The Chi Omega Chapter House has distinct Colonial Revival architecture with Classical Revival details.[6] It features a large front porch, a dentil course along the cornice line, and a pediment over the front entrance.[2] The chapter house also includes a suspended roof supported by four Roman doric columns.[2]

The original structure consists 10,430 square feet (969 m2); after the most recent additions, it is 38,600 square feet (3,590 m2).[3]

See also

Notes
  1. Chi Omega was founded as a "fraternity for women" because the word sorority had not yet become popular. It was coined by Gamma Phi Beta in 1882 but had not yet gained wide usage by 1895.

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "Chi Omega Chapter House, Washington County, Arkansas". Arkansas Historic Preservation Program. Archived from the original on October 4, 2011. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
  3. "Chi Omega Sorority House, University of Arkansas". WER Architects. Retrieved 2023-08-18.
  4. Walsh, Joel (2015-01-13). "Upgrades On Tap For Fayetteville's Chi Omega House". Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette. Retrieved 2023-08-18.
  5. Jones, Katherine Barnett. "Early Houses of the Motherland – 125 Years of Chi Omega". Retrieved 2023-08-18.
  6. Christ, Mark K.; Slater, Cathryn H. (2000-01-01). Sentinels of History: Reflections on Arkansas Properties on the National Register of Historic Places. University of Arkansas Press. p. 267. ISBN 978-1-55728-604-8 – via Google Books.
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