Kappa Sigma house razed

Hopes of a future for the abandoned Kappa Sigma fraternity house at 1503 E. Third St. were crushed Thursday as construction crews began demolishing the historic structure. \nThe house, built during the 1920s and once home to IU alumnus Hoagy Carmichael, has recently been the subject of controversy among students and local groups who have fought to save it. \nBut its dilapidated structure and the nearly $2.5 million required for repairs made renovations all but impossible, said IU spokesman Larry MacIntyre. \n"That's more than twice what we would pay to renovate an office or classroom building," he said. "It is not cost-efficient or cost-effective to renovate the building."\nThe issue of what do with the house has been debated since 1994, when a study was first conducted on renovations for the property, he said. But even then, he said, cost estimates from contractors were prohibitive.\nThe board of trustees voted to raze the house in its Dec. 9 meeting, according to meeting minutes. \n"The issue has been considered at the trustee level at least a couple of times," MacIntyre said. "We think that the decision the board of trustees made was the only logical one that could be made."\nIndianapolis-based contractor Denney Excavation was awarded the demolition contract at a price of $110,000, MacIntyre said. \nBut the fate of the house sparked debate from student groups, fraternities and local community organizations, including the Bloomington Historic Preservation Commission -- who all said it should remain standing. Some have argued the house holds historical significance, while others have said it represents a potential option for on-campus greek housing.\nChris Sturbaum, an advisory member of the Bloomington Historic Preservation Commission, said his commission, which held three meetings on the issue, fought to protect the house because of the memories it reflects.\n"It's like losing a bookmark to all these stories that are connected to a historic structure," he said. "It loses the window on that moment in time when the greek system was exploding on campuses and (the) Roaring '20s were going (on) and Hoagie was playing. \n"It's the window on that era ... and the town's history. It's irreplaceable." \nThe commission submitted a 2,000-signature petition to University officials and passed a resolution stating the needs for preservation, he said. Just last week, the commission signed an initiative to begin a process that would help the structure gain status on the National Register of Historic Places, he said. \n"We did everything we could," he said. "We couldn't have done anything else and we couldn't have made our point more clearly ... It all fell on deaf ears." \nCalls to IU Assistant Vice President and University Architect Bob Meadows were not returned by press time. MacIntyre said the University values the concerns of the community but had to make financial choices in the end.\n"We recognize historic concerns, but there's a trade off," he said. "We are a public institution and we have to use our money wisely, and it's the trustees' responsibility to do that. It's inherent."\nHe said future plans for the site, as part of the campus master plan, call for apartments and housing to be built, focused especially on students in the music school. He said such a property would have designated practice space available and would fulfill a need on campus, although no timetable for the structure has been established. \n"Because of the proximity to the School of Music, we think there would be a high demand for that kind of housing," he said. \nBut Sturbaum said he feels sad -- and upset -- in what he said was a case of an institution acting on the basis of power, not ideas. \nHis hope is that this situation serves as a reminder that careful studies need to be made before action, he said. \n"My hope (is) that out of this senseless demolition will come an awareness that the current review process for University-owned historic property is woefully inadequate," he said. "They've demonstrated that administrators cannot be trusted to protect historic property on campus under the current level of review"