Cross & Crescent

The February 2006 Cross & Crescent included an article that explained the financial health of the Fraternity and how it has endured a period of declining membership and tough financial constraints.

Under direction of Executive Vice President Bill Farkas (Butler 1988) and the Grand High Zeta, the Fraternity has worked hard to improve its financial backing and position itself for the future.

One aspect of that positioning is to preserve the Fraternity’s existing assets. This past spring, the Grand High Zeta approved a plan to renovate our largest physical asset, the headquarters building, and to address a number of deferred maintenance issues.

Working with a new banking partner, we arranged a mortgage against the headquarters to repair, replace, or enhance a number of components. The Fraternity borrowed $400,000, which will be repaid over the next five years, to fund both the renovation and the new membership system that we purchased last summer.

Founders Road Real Estate

Our headquarters building was constructed in 1973. It includes 8,000 square feet of office space, meeting rooms, and a home for many of our historical items. The headquarters serves as the base of operation for 18 full-time employees and 10 traveling consultants.

The headquarters has been renovated many times to meet the current needs of the organization, but the current renovation is the first time we focused on the core systems including the grounds, roof, parking areas, and heating infrastructure.

The view of the building from the outside has been dramatically improved, making the headquarters building once again a premier feature among the other fraternity and sorority headquarters along Founders Road.

The most visible upgrade to the building are the many landscaping improvements. Trees were removed, overgrown plantings were replaced, and new lighting dramatically improves the nighttime view of the building. Related projects included resurfacing the parking lot and repairing damaged sidewalks.

Core systems of the roof and heating system were also replaced or upgraded. The roof, original to the building, was leaking and threatened the contents and the safety of the staff. The new roof uses modern materials and improved insulation to increase energy efficiency.

Most of the existing heating and air conditioning system were also original to the building. The frequency of breakdowns increased over the years, in many cases resulting in sending staff home until the problems could be repaired. The new computerized control system and new air conditioning compressors improve the ability to manage the system and will dramatically decrease utility costs.

The changing needs of the organization enabled converting our old mail processing and duplication work room to a modern conference room. The new conference room has an increased capacity allowing us to host more meetings at the headquarters instead of using outside facilities.

Restoring Mason’s Library

Many will be pleased to learn that our old conference room space was converted to recreate the Mason Library, a feature of headquarters that was eliminated in prior years when space was at a premium.

The Mason Library houses publications that were authored by Lambda Chi members, as well as many of the reference materials Mason used to develop our ritual.

A number of smaller tasks rounded out the renovation, including new carpets and flooring through much of the first floor, painting, new desk chairs for the staff, and a new access control system that improves building security.

A Unique Front Door

One of the most dramatic tasks of the project was the cleaning and refinishing of our unique front door.

The door, donated by David Ford Hunt (North Texas 1953), when the building was originally built weighs several hundred pounds and features cast copper more than one half inch thick on both the inside and outside faces.

Contractors replaced failing hinges and stripped years of accumulated dirt and oxidation from the door. Once restored, the door was sealed with several coats of finish to protect it for years to come.

Word of the door has been spreading, and antiques dealers have taken an interest in it. Sorry collectors, we intend to keep the door exactly where it is.

The finished project has improved the work environment for the staff. More importantly though, it has positioned the building to meet the challenges that Mother Nature has to offer.

The improvements add to the value of the building and preserve our largest physical asset for future generations of Lambda Chi Alpha members.