Groundbreaking for Alpha Tau Omega fraternity house is July 24

Wynn Smiley, CEO of the Alpha Tau Omega national fraternity, will be the featured guest at the groundbreaking ceremony for the UND chapter’s new $3 million residence at 3000 University Avenue.

The event, Wednesday, July 24, at 3:30 p.m., marks the fraternity’s long-awaited return to its original site, where Alpha Tau Omega was established as the third fraternity at the University of North Dakota in 1922.

The lot on the corner of University Avenue and Cambridge Street has been vacant since 2007, when the original house was closed and demolished. The chapter has not had a permanent, consistent facility since regaining its national charter in 2013.

It will be the first fraternity chapter house built on campus since Pi Kappa Alpha’s rebuild in 2004. Construction is expected to be completed by fall semester 2020.

Taking up the shovels on Wednesday will be Smiley; Cassie Gerhard, UND Associate Dean of Students; Deanna Carlson Zink, CEO of UND Alumni Association & Foundation; Kate Kvamme, ICON Architectural Group; Jerry Van Eeckhout, Delta Nu Chapter of ATO ’59 – Campaign Co-chair; Eric Kolb, Worthy Master of Delta Nu Chapter and Craig Tweten, President of Community Contractors, Inc.

Money for completing the project debt free is being raised by alumni in a three-year fund drive, with over 85 percent of the construction goal already pledged.

The three-story residence will reflect the Collegiate Gothic architectural style seen throughout the UND campus. It will feature numerous academic study spaces and lodging for 24, as well as full-service dining facilities and a spacious entertainment area. The design and on-site architecture is a joint venture between Cunningham & Associates of Columbia, Mo.—specialists in Greek residence design—and ICON Architectural Group in Grand Forks.

“The goal, according to the ATO alumni leadership team, is not only to have an architecturally appealing fraternity residence, fully functional by today’s standards, but also to re-engage ATO alums in the fundraising process and beyond,” read a statement by the fraternity’s alumni leadership team.
“More important than the physical structure itself is the commitment, with alumni oversight and mentoring, to help mold responsible young men in an environment where lifelong leadership, social and academic skills can be developed. Friendships forged in these formative college days have proven to continue for life.”

A reception at the King’s Walk Golf Course clubhouse will follow the groundbreaking from 4 to 6:30 p.m.