Published: May 09, 2009 10:47 pm         

Rose-Hulman’s Pi Kappa Alpha renovating former Old Glenn Home

TERRE HAUTE — In the world of university Greek systems there are fraternity houses, and then there is the compound known as Rose-Hulman’s Pi Kappa Alpha.

Up a long and winding lane, tucked behind groves of trees at 7140 Wabash Ave., the Pikes dwell on the grounds of the former Old Glenn Home, once an orphanage facility.

The former manor is the main fraternity house, but the group has renovated the old laundry quarters, gymnasium and other buildings to suit their needs.

On Saturday, Brian Edmunson, president of the fraternity’s alumni association and 2005 Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology graduate, and other alumni joined a 100-brother workforce as the Pikes put in a 10-hour work day renovating their 26-acre, multi-building fraternal complex.

“What amazes me is how much of this the actives do,” commented a dirty and disheveled Edmunson. “It’s quite impressive. I’m very impressed with them.

“The building of Alden, we’ll be moving into in the fall of 2010,” Edmunson said, walking through what was once a brick dormitory for orphans.

Clayton Shotwell, a junior computer engineering major, coordinated the work from masonry to landscaping Saturday, and pointed to the bare brick walls of Alden from which the students have scrubbed plaster, wiring and plumbing fixtures, down to the shell.

A 1950s era orphan dormitory, the building has remained unoccupied since the Old Glenn Home closed. The fraternity hosted a groundbreaking ceremony at noon for its renovation.

Gutted to the foundation and brick walls, the building will be redone so the brothers can move into it while they turn their focus to the main manor, he said.

“There’s about 100 guys here,” Shotwell said as students drove past in front-end loaders, others with concrete saws.

The Pike property is owned by the alumni corporation, Edmunson said, meaning everything from lawn care to maintenance is the students’ responsibility. From financing the renovations to dealing with contractors, the undergraduates get a real-world education in matters most parents would simply hand over to a general contractor or management firm, he said.

The various aspects of the ongoing, multi-phase project that is the property round out a cost figure of about $450,000, Edmunson said. But the group has owned the land since 1991 and they have no plans on leaving, so the total tab on nearly 20 years of work is hard to figure.

Don Brannan, house adviser and president of the housing corporation, said the property has come a long way. “For years, they’ve just done more and more,” the self-described “old Pike” said. “Right now they’re entering an aggressive stage.”

But with a new pole barn full of motorcycles, ATVs and two fire engines decked out with gas grills and stereo systems, the group has plenty of toys with which to embrace what Edmunson referred to as a “big playground.”

Seventeen work crews hit the compound’s gymnasium and full-size basketball court, rewiring and cleaning up falling ceiling coverings, while others repaired window coverings and filled potholes in the parking lot.

“It would be nice if we could get everything done in one day,” Shotwell said. “There’s always something to do, just not enough time to do it.”

Brian Boyce can be reached at 812-231-4253 or brian.boyce@tribstar.com.