Chi Omega Sorority House - Lawrence, Kansas - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

The 1925 Chi Omega sorority house is situated toward the north end of the University of Kansas campus. Several other Greek organizations have built their houses in the vicinity as well. The three story brick structure is built in the Jacobethan style. Window and door surrounds and other decorative details are done in stone. Additions made in 1964 are entirely compatible with the original construction. The house has been changed only insofar as was necessary to accommodate modern needs. Its historic character has not been altered.

The building was originally constructed with a seven bay east elevation in an L shaped configuration. To the north of the entrance bay was a two story wing that was terminated with a stone balustrade and flat roof. The wing immediately south of the main block, containing the sun room, was also flat roofed and terminated in a stone balustrade. The dimensions of the building were 77 x 89 feet and its L shape was created by the dining room (now used as a study/television room), which extended to the west.

In 1964, the Sorority requested that the building be expanded to accommadte the growing number of its residents. The Kansas City architectural firm of Folger and Pearson was awarded the contract for an addition and the B.A. Green Construction Company of Lawrence was selected as the general contractor.

The primary facade (east) is symetrically composed of 11 bays and has a central projecting entrance bay. A gabled dormer pierces the roof line above each bay, further defining the balanced arrangement of the facade.

The wood front door is placed within a stone, compound Tudor arch and is approached by three flights of steps. The stone door surround is quoined and continues up to form the base and surround for a tri-sided oriel window on the second floor. This window is surmounted by a quioned brick balcony. Above this, on the attic story, a multipaned casement window is capped with a stone lintel. The parapet peaks in a steep gable over the entrance bay and is embellished with a smooth stone coping.

The fenestration of the three bays flanking the entrance on the first floor consists of double, multipaned French doors which features Tudor arch transoms. These doors possess stone quoin surrounds. Above each of these doors at the second level is a casement window that also has stone quoined surrounds, sills, and lintels. The attic story windows are contained in gable roofed dormers. The pediment of the dormers is stuccoed and decorated with timbering. These windows have stone lugsills.

The projected castellated bays are tri-sided, with casement windows on the first and second stories. The base of the first floor windows, and the window surrounds, are of smooth stone. The brick spandrel separating the first from the second story is embellished with with stone quoining. A rectangular stone panel set into the spandrel is inscribed with the Greek Letters (Chi) and (Omega). The bays terminate with castellations, faced with stone. Set back on the same plane as the other attic dormers is a gabled dormer.

The end bays of the primary facade were part of the 1964 addition and alteration project. The subtle differences in their treatment reflect the interior arrangement of the building. The southern bay is characterized by a group of three multipaned casement windows which again feature an elliptical transom. The large window surface area facilitates the use of the room as a sunroom/study. Molded rectangular panels form the wooden base of the windows. A running stone sill below the three second floor windows serves as a string course. These are also multipaned casement windows. Centrally placed above the bay breaks the plane created by the main mass of the building as it is slightly recessed. The bay at the north end of this facade features a single two-leafed casement window with a quioned surround and elliptical transom. This bay is also slightly recessed. a single second story window is multipaned and also quoined with stone lugsills. The gable dormer of the attic story contains a casement window.

The gable roof of the house is covered with variegated asphalt shingles. A chimney with clay chimney pots is at the south end of the roof.