Visitors to the chapter house over Big Bash weekend found substantial change. As Yogi Berra might have put it, while there was a lot to see, there was not much to see.  I’ll explain.  Following finals week and graduation, when every bit of the contents of the chapter house were hauled out to a couple semi trailers to be moved a few hundred yards to the old FIJI house—Phi Psi’s temporary location for the fall semester until the renovations are complete in December—demolition teams have been hard at work.

The house is empty.  Not only were there no students, there was no equipment, no furnishings, no kitchen equipment, no chapter artifacts, no drywall, and no study room ceilings.  This was the-Grinch-just-came-and-took-every-last-speck-from-Cindy-Lou-Who’s-house kind of empty.  The absence of everything but concrete walls was quite remarkable, and suggests that workers are beginning the building up that comes after the tearing out. Photo Album.

The concrete blocks which have been hidden behind the drywall are solid.  Construction teams are installing new HVAC capacity and fire sprinkling capability—new copper pipes and air transport tubes are visible in the study wing rooms.  There is a new side door on the east side which leads to the east stairs to go up to the Great Hall or down to the basement.  The east side porch and front vestibule are taking shape nicely.  The space which will accommodate a wheelchair lift for disabled visitors or students is being prepared.  Windows on the third floor are being filled in, developing the bathrooms and suites that will constitute the area that used to be the cold dormitory, so that study room space per man can be increase by 50%.  Basement level bathrooms are being installed, such that social functions can be held in the basement and the rest of the chapter house can be locked off.  The kitchen has been cleared out, and walls will be removed so that the kitchen can expand to the east and south.  Nearly every area of the house will experience improvement—making the chapter house the place to sleep, eat, study, and be a Wabash Phi Psi for the next forty or fifty years. -Terry Hamilton '89