"(7) Phi Kappa Hall (lower floor open), Broad and Jackson Sts, is a two-story, red brick structure with four smooth Doric columns across its portico. The building was constructed in 1836 for the Phi Kappa Literary Society, which was organized in 1820 largely through the efforts of Joseph Henry Lumpkin. Taking themselves very seriously, the Phi Kappa boys showed their patriotism by adorning their walls with portraits of Presidents of the United States. In selecting their honorary members, they were even more ambitious than their Demosthenian rivals, for they extended invitations to Andrew Jackson, James K Polk, James Buchanan, Jefferson Davis, John Tyler, and Napoleon III. When the hall was used as a storehouse during the War between the States, its valuable library was damaged irreparably."
--Georgia: A Guide to its Cities and Towns, 1940
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The hall still stands, the lower floor is no longer open. The society still exists, though the building is rarely seen open. Below is a link to the Society, a write up from the Carl Vinson Institute and a link to the Wikipedia article on the society.
Phi Kappa Literary Society (http://www.phikappa.org/)
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Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phi_Kappa_Literary_Society)
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Influenced by the Greek Revival style, Phi Kappa Hall is a vernacular interpretation of a prostyle Doric temple with simulated stucco lintels above the windows and central entrance.
Established in 1820, the Phi Kappa Literary Society was the rival of the Demothenian Society. Constructed directly across from Demosthenain Hall and dedicated in 1836, Phi Kappa Hall's first floor served as the University's first real gymnasium in 1888. During the Civil War, the building was converted by Federal troops into the headquarters for the provost-marshal government. Subsequently, Dr. E. Merton Coulter utilized the first floor as an office and library, and the building housed the University store and co-op. Periodically, the upper hall is used as a meeting space.
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visit link)