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Friday, March 29, 2024
NEWS  |  CAMPUS

Sigma Kappa to demolish old house, new one to be built in its place

<p>The Sigma Kappa house sits at 1108 E. Panhellenic Drive on Sunday. The 11,000-square-foot house is scheduled for demolition and will be rebuilt more than twice its original size.</p>

The Sigma Kappa house sits at 1108 E. Panhellenic Drive on Sunday. The 11,000-square-foot house is scheduled for demolition and will be rebuilt more than twice its original size.

Members of one of Sorority Row’s oldest houses are getting an upgrade.

The Sigma Kappa Sorority’s 11,000-square-foot house, located at 1108 E. Panhellenic Drive, will be demolished and rebuilt, said Jennifer Lyons, president of UF’s Chapter Sigma Kappa Beta Tau Housing Corporation.

With 25,000 square feet, it will house 66 sisters, a house director and two guests in dorm-style and suite-style rooms.

The house will cost between $5 million and $6 million to build, Lyons said. The corporation manages the house and property.

The new three-story brick house will be about the same size as Delta Delta Delta Sorority’s house and will feature kitchenettes on every floor.

There will also be a craft room that could get messy, said UF’s Sigma Kappa president, Erica Baker.

"It’s basically to keep the rest of the house clean," the 22-year-old said. "You can do whatever you want in that room so long as it stays in that room."

In December, the 32 members who lived in the house were told they would need to move out in May, Baker said. Everyone had to find her own place to stay for the academic year.

The sorority’s new house will be finished in July or August, before recruitment next Fall, Lyons said.

The construction had no effect on recruitment, and 89 new members joined last week, Baker said.

"Our rates were actually better than we’ve ever had," she said.

Recruitment took place at the Hilton, located at 1714 SW 34th St., Baker said.

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Until the new house is built, Baker said UF’s Sigma Kappa chapter still wants to make sure sisters have a space that is their own.

The chapter is renting a room at Jackson Square Condominiums, which is located at 325 NW 14th St., near Midtown.

They will use the room as a common area, similar to their old house’s living room, Baker said.

To offset building costs, Sigma Kappa’s housing corporation board raised the money — enough for a down payment, Lyons said.

She declined to disclose how much the down payment was.

"Dues will not have to go up, which is a huge blessing for us," Baker said.

Members pay $700 per semester in dues plus rent if they choose to live in the house. Some Sigma Kappa residents will see an increase in rent.

While the new house will be an upgrade, some keepsakes from the old house are staying.

"There’s an original UF building number we’ll be taking to the new house," Lyons said.

Baker said she can’t wait for the house to be finished.

"It’ll be the biggest," she said. "It’s going to be beautiful."

Follow Caitlin Ostroff on Twitter @ceostroff

The Sigma Kappa house sits at 1108 E. Panhellenic Drive on Sunday. The 11,000-square-foot house is scheduled for demolition and will be rebuilt more than twice its original size.

This rendering features the planned new Sigma Kappa sorority house.

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