Former TKE fraternity house to be razed
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A former fraternity house at the corner of Russell and Third streets that the national fraternity sold this summer to the Purdue Research Foundation will be torn down in October to provide additional parking on the west side of the university's academic campus.The 26,000-square-foot area occupied by the former Tau Kappa Epsilon chapter house represents four original building lots – three that total 150 feet by 125 feet and a fourth that is 60 feet by 122 feet. In all, that area is expected to provide 70 to 100 surface parking spots, said Joseph Hornett, PRF senior vice president and chief operating officer.
The foundation considered various uses for the house, but it was determined that repair and renovation costs would outweigh any benefits of converting it to an alternative use, such as offices or apartments.
"With those facts before us, we determined that the best course was to use the property for parking until such time as the university may need the land for other purposes," Hornett said.
The research foundation purchased the TKE house, 300 Russell St., for $1.5 million. The national chapter chose to sell the house after several years of struggling financially. The recent incident involving three chapter officers being arrested on drug charges, leading the university to suspend the chapter in 2005, had little to do with the decision to sell the property. The Purdue chapter of the fraternity plans to continue to operate and recruit new members.
Hornett said the long-term strategy of the research foundation — which acquires and manages property on behalf of the university — is to purchase property west of the central campus whenever there is a fair opportunity to do so.
"Purdue has shared its master plan widely," Hornett said. "PRF will buy any land that comes available in the island between the academic campus and our university residences. We weren't looking at this piece in particular, but when it became available at a reasonable price, we bought it."
Lawrence Fusaro, university architect, said the logical expansion of campus is to the north and west, including the two-block-wide island between State Street and Stadium Avenue. That area currently is home to the Black Cultural Center, the Richard and Patricia Lawson Computer Science Building and Telecommunications Building.
Writer: Jeanne Norberg, (765) 494-2084, jnorberg@purdue.edu
Sources: Joseph Hornett, (765) 494-8645, jbhornett@purdue.edu
Larry Fusaro, (765) 494-8003, ljfusaro@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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