Last (Small) House Standing : Results

Ah, 2009 - it seems like yesterday. James Gaertner was president of SHSU, his administration had released an updated Campus Master Plan document that was making the rounds, and readers found the plan outlined a number of buildings were slated for eventual demolition. Among those were most of the small houses, the small, brick dormitories that pop-up around campus.

That year we decided to have a bit of fun with the master plan and asked readers which one of the 19 small houses they thought would be the last one standing. We did note at the time that, however:

Master Plans are notoriously tricky - they’re not always carried out right away, nor does the university always end up looking like the approved plan: construction can be slow, projects can shift priorities, and the university can change their mind.

None of the small houses have gone anywhere over the past 7 years. The campus did raze King, Kirkley, and Smith Halls and one of the buildings in the Art Complex (G) with another one due this summer (B). The Thomason Building got a new lease on life – it’s getting remodeled rather than razed - and there was the matter of the Army Reserve Center...but, really, who’s keeping track?

With Adams, Allen, Barrett, and Parkhill houses gone we now close out the first round of our survey.  Thanks for playing! 

The results?

With 70 responses since our survey was opened on September 15, 2009, readers thought that the Alpha Delta Pi Sorority House would be the last house standing at 14%. This was followed by the Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority House at 13%, and Barrett House at 10%. As the first two are on Sorority Hill it would seem readers hoped to keep the sorority houses standing as long as possible. (Of note, the houses on the Hill turn 60-years-old this year so celebrate appropriately.  You know, with sticks.)

If we are to assume that houses with the fewest votes are those readers felt would be razed right away then Creager House would be the first to go, receiving no votes.  Houston and Shaver houses were tied at 1% each, Gibbs House had 2% of the vote, and there was a 4-way tie with Baldwin, Jackson, Parkhill, and the Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority House each receiving 3%.

The full run-down by house:

• Alpha Delta Pi (14%)
• Zeta Tau Alpha (13%)
• Barrett (10%) *
• Crawford (9%)
• Allen (7%) *
• Randel (7%)
• Vick (6%)
• Mallon (6%)
• Adams (4%) *
• Alpha Chi Omega (4%)
• Baldwin (3%)
• Jackson (3%)
• Parkhill (3%) *
• Spivey (3%)
• Sigma Sigma Sigma (3%)
• Gibbs (2%)
• Shaver (1%)
• Houston (1%)
• Creager (0%)

By location:

• Sorority Hill - 41%
• The Valley - 24%  * 
• Four west - 18%
• Three east - 16%
  

 * Demolished July 2016