With five Cribs down, there are still plenty more Greek houses to tour! Students, alumnae, friends and family have enjoyed seeing what is inside these fraternity and sorority houses that are being thrown up on campus. With many requests and eagerness, The Odyssey would like to introduce the next house -- Delta Delta Delta! 

Tri Delt was founded at the University of Alabama in 1914 and will be celebrating their 100th birthday this year. Taking a look back through those 100 years, Tri Delt first moved into a white, two-story house in 1923 that was later rebuilt around 1960. Their second house was known as “the round house,” that was famous for its circular shape. After outgrowth and other issues in the round house, the sorority has moved locations to the new Delta Row where their house stands miraculously at 40,000 square feet!     

 
The members of Tri Delt loved their historical round house, but as time passed and the growth of the campus continued, it was time to build a new home. The Odyssey asked the president of Delta Delta Delta, Patricia Stutts, what were some of the issues concerning the choice to move? Stutts said safety was one of the primary reasons. “We could not have chapter meetings without breaking the fire code, we didn't meet handicap accessibility requirements, and our plumbing, electrical, and heating systems were outdated. We also wanted to increase participation; our old house did not have the amenities to comfortably allow room for meetings,  meals, and events.” Stutts also explained that during recruitment in the round house, the performance was challenging due to limited space and the members wanted an impressive house to be proud of. In order to have a house that fit all of their needs, there was no another option, but to move locations. The women were disappointed to leave the round house, but from a fiscal, structural, and architectural perspective, building a house in a new location made the most sense.     

With the list of space, recruitment and safety issues, the alumnae began researching available space and construction options for a new house. Once the research process was complete, the alumnae were able to have Delta Delta Delta in a good position to begin. In order to finance the new house, the sorority sold the round house to the University of Alabama, which helped offset the construction costs. The chapter also kicked off a huge capital campaign to help raise funding for the new house. Stutts noted that the sorority was very lucky to have warm supportive and enthusiasm from alumnae that were willing to donate.       

With much anticipation for 1.5 years, the construction process was finally complete in April of 2013! The house includes four floors: a basement, main floor, and two residential floors. The main floor is used for dining and entertaining where one of the greatest features of the house is located -- the dining room. “The real nod to our beloved round house is the clerestory in our dining room. It adds a special, yet subtle way to remember our old house while also adding lots of light to the room.” The unique house has a lot of meaningful insights, like the dining room and even the arches on the front of the house. The three arches are a special design for Delta Delta Delta because the number three is very significant to the sorority.      

UA Cribs is always curious about the cost of membership dues increasing, along with the demand for new members to fill the house. Tri Delta found it important that the burden of the cost of the house should not rest solely on current members. The membership dues have increased to live in the house, but not significantly. As far as recruiting new members to fill the house, Stutts commented, “the exciting prospect of living in a such a beautiful new house has allowed us to easily fill all of the available rooms. We have had waiting lists to get in the house both years, which is a very nice problem to have. I think that is a testament to the outstanding job that our house corporation did with the house design and speaks volumes about our chapter that we have girls who still want to be so involved as juniors and seniors.”      

Since the women of Tri Delta have moved into their new home, the house has given them amenities to capitalize the strong sisterhood that was already established. There are no longer issues of having to rent off-campus locations to host events and, now, all the women can eat in the same room for dinner in the miraculous dining room. This has impacted the influence of the women wanting to spend time together in the house and has allowed friendships to grow even greater.

This new house has also positively affected the alumnae. Raising money for the new house allowed them to reconnect and feel involved with Tri Delta again. Stutts said, “This house was an incredible investment for our chapter, and it is a testament to the strong future of our chapter on this campus. We're hoping for another 100 years on campus!”        

To recommend a sorority or fraternity house for the next feature on UA Cribs, hashtag us at #UACribs #bamaodyssey on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook! We would love to hear feedback and receive interests for the next crib! Remember, all UA Crib articles are on our website: theodysseyonline.com so be sure to share your crib on social media!