State of the House Report for Capital Campaign

State of the House Report for Capital Campaign

Alumni of Zeta Chapter,

The brothers are excited to announce the formation of an endowment fund to restore the founding house to its former majesty and ensure the perpetuity of McCormick Hall. Since its construction in 1908, the house has undergone normal wear and tear, which can be properly reconditioned with appropriate funding. If memory serves us all correct, the last large scale renovation of the house was completed around the late 80’s, so it has been some time since the house was properly refurbished.

Several alums from recent years and over the decades have recently come by both 46 East and McCormick Hall, and after noticing the disrepair parts of the house have fallen into, have inquired about ways to assist the current brothers in restoring the house. This house holds a special place in the memories of many men who have spent their years at the University as a part of this fraternity. All of us remember fondly our time at McCormick Hall with friends and the lifelong friendships carried forward through life after graduating. To allow the house to reach a point where it is uninhabitable and rob current, future, and past brothers of the experience a fraternity house provides would be a tragedy and a disservice to everyone who was ever a part of this fraternity. As a result, we current brothers would be remiss if we allowed the house’s condition to deteriorate and made no attempt to follow up on the concerns and generosity that alumni have shown to us about this issue.

Currently, the house has several structural flaws and pressing flaws in need of attention. Aside from obvious repairs and replacements that need to be made to exterior and interior features, the house’s foundation has the following problems:

• The main floor and basement ceiling level has suffered severe structural damage, including holes and leaks appearing throughout the basement ceiling
• The first to second floor staircase and banister are in need of urgent repair, containing steps beginning to give way, weak spots throughout, and railing posts that have collapsed entirely.
• The back porch has visibly recessed from the main structure of the house and has created gaps and leaks flooding into the kitchen. This recession has placed visible strain on the foundation of the kitchen ceiling and walls.
• Both main floor fireplaces and the walls surrounding them are decrepit
• The top balcony is currently barely providing the support necessary to withstand the number of people that normally occupy it
• The broken tile flooring in the basement, the two basement bathrooms, and the first and second floor bathrooms pose several hazards

In order to start combating these structural failings, the brothers in the house have reestablished the Zeta Chapter’s website, complete with a donate function, providing a way for alumnus to reconnect with the house and promote the relationships formed in its halls. In the coming months, we will send out more specific information on our capital campaign to galvanize the restoration of McCormick Hall.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to either Tim Jonas, the Alumni Relations Chair, or the current Grandmaster, Bronson Ingram. We very much appreciate your consideration and any commitments you can make to this campaign to restore the house. McCormick Hall means a lot to all of us and together we can hopefully reach enough funding for renovations in order to return it to a respectable condition. After totaling initial financial pledges, we will get back to you all with the next steps for donations and this process as a whole. Thank you and the brothers wish you all a wonderful start to the summer.

Timothy Jonas ’20
Alumni Relations Chair, Zeta Chapter
C: (617) 733-1055
E: trj3tb@virginia.edu