The Zeta House
Hear It Calling
Our History - 2000s
Since the 1960’s no single decade has been as significant in terms of changes to the house.
The Addition
In studying the historical documents from the 60’s it is quite evident that Marion Ferguson had big plans for Zeta. When she worked with O.J. Baker originally on the house, she made it quite clear that Zeta was going to grow and we would need to eventually add on to the house.
In August of 1964 she writes to the House Corporation Board:
“Room for expansion in the future has been given serious consideration and this can be done easily by going out from the chapter room; which would move the chapter room farther back and the existing chapter room would just be the den. Above the new chapter room on the two upper floors would be space for 2 or 4 girl rooms and baths. This type of expansion plan would give the back of the house a U shape which is more desirable and would enclose the patio even more, giving more privacy, etc.”She mailed the plans and her concerns about the house to Jeanette Chapman, National House Corporation, and below you can see her response regarding a future expansion.
“Marion, I am concerned over the lighting in the Chapter Room. If you use this for expansion, this room would eventually have no windows. I don’t know how to solve the problem, but the Ritual storage and other storage is using good outside walls where windows might be located. Have you thought of this”?
Space planning and budget could not accommodate her suggestion regarding this issue.
After years of planning and research, ZTA’s national architect, Cunningham and Associates in Columbia, Missouri, was selected in August, 2000 and the plans drawn. On April 30, 2001 the LSU Board of Supervisors approved the addition of a chapter room to the Zeta Tau Alpha House. They authorized an approximate 1,856 square foot addition and approved the waiver of the University’s set-back requirements as described on the plan. Local DK alumnae and former HC President Lisa Wideman Jones was asked to chair the project.
In the winter of 2002, a $345,000 loan was secured and construction bids were obtained by local architect and DK alumnae Kitty Kiper Rouse. A groundbreaking ceremony was held in May 2002 and the race was on to finish the addition before rush began in August.
There were many decisions, set-backs, change orders, gray hairs and even tears before the $404,000 project was completed just hours before the first rush parties. The new room was added to the rear of the original chapter room and contains much needed storage including a new ritual closet, functional stage for recruitment, a large screen for presentations, and excellent lighting. The vaulted ceilings give the room a tremendous sense of spaciousness Three sets of French doors which open to the patio help to create a nice flow for entertaining large crowds. The windows capture the southern colonial design of the original house with the use of transoms for additional light. Across the room a functional stage to be used during recruitment was added complete with a well planned sound system. Flanking the stage are large windows with transoms above.
Access to the room is gained from both the sitting room as well as the dining room. The interior entrance contains a loggia complete with custom cabinetry, storage, and an additional bar sink for entertaining. A fully handicap accessible restroom and new vanity area was also added to the space for convenience. A tremendous effort produced our beautiful multi-purpose room which was dedicated on Sunday, September 15, 2002. It still remains the envy of sorority row and hosts many Chapter and Panhellenic functions.
During the mid-2000’s, the house was challenged by plumbing problems. The original 39-year-old hot water heater died in November 2004 leaving residences and staff scrambling. The original heater was so large it could not be removed from the boiler room through the door and had to be cut into pieces! Two new heaters replaced the old one, but it was quickly determined these were inadequate for the demands of the house. After exhaustive research during the Christmas break, Kittye Kiper Rouse lead a team of mechanical engineers and plumbers in building a new shed in the service driveway to house an additional large gas water heater. The entire project cost over $21,000.
When things started backing up in the “boys” hall bathroom, guest room bathroom and House Directors apartment in 2005, a plumbing video camera determined we had cracked pipes in our slab. That summer, the floor in the hall bathroom was dug up to make the repairs revealing a tangle of pipes that needed replacing. It was a warning to House Corporation that aging pipes may create even greater problems in the future.
In the summer of 2005, a new era of technology came to the house when wireless internet access was funded by the Chapter. House Corporation was also required to create new emergency exits in both stairwells as mandated by the State Fire Marshal’s office. We had a lighting strike in August, 2005 which damaged several things including our security system and landscape lighting but Mother Nature was just getting started.
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
On Monday, August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina roared into South Louisiana causing unimaginable destruction. Although the Zeta House was spared serious damage, many families of our Chapter members were unable to return to their homes for weeks or not at all. The house opened its doors to ZTA “Katrina Refuges” and entire families moved in … some sleeping on the chapter room floor. Over the next several weeks, House Director Nina Cyphers was feeding at least 50 extra family members at various times. At convention the following summer, the DK of ZTA House Corporation received special recognition for the help the house extended our families during this crisis.
As if that wasn’t enough, Hurricane Rita made landfall on September 24, 2005, near Lake Charles. This put Baton Rouge on the storm’s east side and the Zeta House suffered $10,300 in damage. We had roof problems and interior leaks in several bedrooms.
Exterior Renovation
Maintaining the exterior of our beautiful white brick house has always been a challenge. In 2006, all the exterior trim was painted and the wood windows re-glazed. We also installed an upgraded security system that uses handprints rather than keys or key fobs.
Interior Updates
The second half of the decade focused on making much needed interior improvements. New carpet was installed upstairs in the summer of 2007. New faux-wood bedroom blinds were added along with lots of interior painting. The biggest change was Dottie Morales Richard’s new design for the sitting room.
Over the 2006 Christmas break, the Chapter was surprised with a beautiful new piano. This purchase was funded solely through the generous donations of DK alumnae in the Baton Rouge and Dallas areas. These DK sisters had such loving memories of music filling the Zeta House that they wanted to insure the tradition continued well into the future.
Another generous donation in 2008 from Zeta parent Jack Devereux allowed for the installation of a state-of-the-art audio visual theater system in the Chapter room. Thanks to Mr. Devereux and Zeta dad, Jim Richard, who supervised the installation, the chapter now enjoys movies, television and computer presentations on the large screen above the stage! Improvements and renovations were also made to the hall bathroom, guest bedroom and guest bathroom that summer.
Hurricane Gustav
History seemed to repeat itself on September 1, 2008 when Hurricane Gustav roared into Louisiana. Ninety mph winds blew straight across University Lake and slammed into sorority row. Several of the houses including Zeta received significant damage. House Director Nina Cyphers and a handful of Chapter members put up a brave battle as water poured into the guest room, living room and dormer windows (even blowing out a window pane upstairs). Ultimately, a portion of the ceiling collapsed above the bay window in the living room ruining sheetrock and carpet. Shutters and roof shingles were lost, and the wood floor in the foyer buckled. Damages at the Zeta house totaled over $40,000. LSU officials scrambled to return power, assess damages and reopen the campus within a week. Miraculously, with the hard work of a team of House Corporation Board members, the Zeta house was ready to welcome guests to our Homecoming Open House.
Major Interior Renovation
The summer of 2009 was a whirlwind of activity at the Zeta house! After years of planning, much of the downstairs was revitalized with fresh colors, textures and furniture. Dottie Morales Richard and Connie Cassidy Abboud planned and executed these improvements with military efficiency on a tight budget and time frame. When Hurricane Gustav ruined the living room carpet the previous September, the board realized this was an opportunity to update the flooring throughout the downstairs. Beautiful slate replaced the carpet in October and was extended into the foyer, hall, sitting room and dining room during the summer. Our formal staircase was enhanced by new iron spindles, darkening the original treads and banister, and replacing the runner. Lovely architectural moldings were added to accent the door casements in the foyer. Dottie and Jim Richard donated a custom made wood and iron chandelier to complete the transformation.
In the dining room, new draperies and refurbished lighting fixtures were just the beginning. Donations from Zeta parent Jack Devereux and from the Zeta Parents Club funded the creation of a new coffee and beverage center. This beautiful painted buffet enhances our lunch and dinner service presentation, allows our members to have 24 hour access to coffee and tea, and adds much need storage for food service items. Immediately following recruitment, new dining room tables and chairs were delivered.
In addition, the chapter room and adjoining guest bathroom were updated by painting the walls to match the other rooms downstairs. The three most recent composites were hung gallery style in the hall next to our new digital archive. Finally after always searching for quarters to do laundry, residents were thrilled with our new Maytag washers and dryers. Stacking front-loading commercial units allowed us to add a third set while greatly increasing our energy efficiency.
Digital Archive
Over the years, the HC Board recognized that we were running out of wall space to hang nearly 50 years of composites. Knowing what a priceless treasure they were, we began to research various methods of preserving and storing composites. We quickly discovered that all of the other LSU sororities and Zeta chapters were dealing with the same problems. An innovative solution was proposed by Zeta parents, Richard and Sally Jarred and the new Delta Kappa digital archive was conceived. Board member Idell Adams supervised having digital photos taken of every composite. Delta Kappa Alumna Dottye Knox donated the money for a computer, the HC built a customized computer cabinet, and the Jarreds wrote a unique computer program for the project. In the fall of 2009, the archive was installed in the downstairs hall. Visitors to the house can search the computer for any initiated member of Delta Kappa and be linked to a composite with her photo. Users can zoom in or out, and move forward and backwards through the years of composites. Plans are in the works for the archive to also display presentations on the history of the chapter, philanthropy activities and more. We encourage everyone to enjoy this exceptional display at the house.
Photo Gallery...scroll over to see caption, click on picture to enlarge.
