Tri Delta - Butler University
Indianapolis, IN

Project Strategy

The Tri Delta chapter house at Butler University (809 West Hampton Drive) has been a vital part of the Delta Lambda experience since it opened in 1930. The Tudor style home serves as a home away from home for the sorority sisters, fostering learning and growth for many generations.

In 2020, Tri Delta Housing launched an extensive renovation of the house which was completed in August of this year. This renovation transformed the house into a premiere living and learning space for the chapter's 200+ members.

The chapter house was officially decommissioned in spring 2020, right as the COVID-19 pandemic hit. But even with the challenges of the last year, construction moved forward on schedule.

The new Delta Lambda home supports the effort of wanting more sisters to live in the chapter house with the goal of providing a safe, comfortable, and competitive living environment for Delta Lambda's members and most importantly...cultivating a space that will allow the sisterhood to flourish!

The newly designed 14,000 square foot, three-story addition features a multipurpose room that is utilized for both meeting and dining. It seats 180 members for meals and accommodates even more for chapter meetings, while also increasing the sleeping capacity from 40 to now over 60 women. In addition to this, there is a state-of-the-art outdoor courtyard as well as additional community living areas that now provide more space for sisters and even alumnae to gather.

The vision and design were brought to life by Rowland Design. Rowland wanted to sensitively design the additional blends to the house by incorporating dormers consistent with the original house design. This carried throughout the exterior of the house so that materials utilized would mirror those of the unique original style of the house.

The main new highlighted features include:
• New Enlarged Dining Room / Tri Delta Chapter Room
• New Enlarged Three-Season Outdoor Living Space
• Enlarged Entry Foyer
• New House Director Suite and Lounge
• New Study Space in Attic

The master planning of this renovation also provided a fresh color palette and new interior finishes to update maintain the home's Tudor charm resulting in achieving the sorority's goal of "having a space to live with purpose," while having a dedicated and adequately sized space to live and gather together.