The Sigma Chi Foundation has closed the site of the Fraternity’s founding in Oxford, Ohio, for the first half of 2016 in order to complete renovations to the historic building. The Foundation expects to reopen the founding site by the summer, barring any unforeseen delays.
“The removal and sale of non-historic property owned by the Foundation has given us an opportunity to complete the last stage of preservation and update of the founding site property,” says Sigma Chi Foundation chief operating officer Ashley Woods, EAST TENNESSEE 2000. “A new lobby, entrance and restrooms will be added to the back of the historic property, providing better access for visiting brothers, enhanced commercial space, and fortification from other buildings in the area.”
Located at 22 E. Ohio St. in Oxford near Miami University, the founding site housed Founders Benjamin Piatt Runkle, 1857, and James Parks Caldwell, 1857, during their days in college. In addition, it is the location where Runkle and Founder William Lewis Lockwood, 1858, designed the Sigma Chi badge, and where the Alpha chapter hosted some its first meetings.
The founding site was most recently renovated in 1993, with further work being completed in advance of the Fraternity’s 150th anniversary celebration in 2005.
For information about the founding site renovation project, contact Noah Phelps, NORTHWESTERN 2008, the Sigma Chi Foundation’s director of information management, at (847) 869-3655, ext. 220.
