FRATERNITY ROW

View west, 1917 (via UNC's Yackety Yack)

Building is at right of photo; view south, 1920s (via UNC)

View west, 1945

View north west, 1957

Known variously as the Kappa Sigma frat hall, The Evergreens, Evergreen Cottage, the Smith-Evergreen Cottage, and the Evergreen House, it was built between late 1912 and 1913. It likely obtained the name "Evergreen" or "Evergreens" from the trees that once surrounded it. 

The structure was used as temporary housing for Army cadets in March 1943. From 1943 to June 1946, due to the student housing shortage during WWII, it was used by the Alpha Tau Omega (ATO) fraternity. By 1945 the first floor of the front porch was enclosed. It was used as an annex for the Tri Delta sorority house in the late 1950s.

At some point (after 1957) the upper floor of its two-story front porch was enclosed. In early 1984, UNC's first ethernet was deployed in the building.

Naturally, this building was put on the "scheduled for destruction" list of UNC's Board of Governors' Committee on Budget and Finance in 2004, during the Moeser-Kapp regime. It is the sole survivor of UNC's original Fraternity Row.

View north west (image via UNC)

View west, 3.9.2021 (photo by S. Rankin)

View east, 3.9.2021 (photo by S. Rankin)

View north, 3.9.2021 (photo by S. Rankin)

View south, 3.9.2021 (photo by S. Rankin)

View west, circa 1910 (via UNC Postcard collection)

View west, circa 1918 (via UNC's Yackety Yack)

View west, circa 1918 (via UNC)

Kappa Alpha (K.A.), Epsilon Chapter was established at the University of North Carolina in 1881. This "frat hall" was built circa 1900. It was later used by Tau Epsilon Phi.

View west, 1918 (via UNC's Yackety Yack)

Building is at center-right of photo; view south, 1920s (via UNC)

1911 Sanborn map excerpt

1903 Zeta Psi fraternity photo (via UNC's Yackety Yack)

View south west, 1916 (via UNC Yackety Yack)

View north west, circa 1918 (via UNC Yackety Yack)

View north west, circa 1920 (via UNC)

Beta Theta Pi, Eta Beta Chapter was founded at the University of North Carolina in 1852, was inactive starting in 1859, and was reinstated in 1889. This "frat hall" was built circa 1900.

View north west, circa 1915 (via UNC Postcard collection)

View north west, circa 1918 (via UNC Yackety Yack)

Phi Delta Theta (P.D.T.), Beta Chapter was founded at the University of North Carolina in 1884. This "frat hall" was built in 1913.

The structure was destroyed in a January 13, 1927 fire.

View north, circa 1925 (via UNC)

View north east (via UNC Postcard collection)

Delta Kappa Epsilon (D.K.E.), Beta Chapter was the first fraternity founded at the University of North Carolina on April 5, 1851. The early chapter meetings were held in the house of John W. Carr. Due to the Civil War, the chapter was dissolved in 1861. The Chapter was revived on March 19, 1887.

This D.K.E. "frat hall" was the first fraternity hall/house built on the UNC campus (in all of North Carolina, actually), in 1894. The building somehow escaped the January 8, 1919 fire on Fraternity Row that burned the adjacent buildings.

D.K.E. moved out in the 1920s, and Chi Phi moved in. In 1932 Chi Phi moved out and it became a boarding house.

It was still being used in the 1960s, and the 1975 aerial photo of the area seems to still show it in place.

View north east, 1917 (via UNC's Yackety Yack)

1916 photo excerpt

This structure was built circa 1900 as the Sigma Alpha Epsilon frat hall. Pi Kappa Phi moved into the building in December 1918/January 1919. It was destroyed/burned in the January 8, 1919 fire on Fraternity Row.

This was the future author Tom Wolfe's fraternity, and he was living in the building and was present the night it burned (there were no casualties, BTW). The fraternity had just moved into this building from their previous frat house, and had to move back into their old house after the fire.

From the March 1919 Star and Shield of Pi Kappa Phi, Wolfe wrote this report of the fire:

"Kappa ... moved into its new location, a house conveniently situated on the campus in the fraternity row, between the Sigma Alpha Epsilon and the Sigma Nu houses. The house was occupied Wednesday, January 8. That night three new men were initiated, Bros W.P. Andrews of Charlotte, N.C., a senior; Ralph H. Wilson of Wilsons Mills, N.C., a junior; and Howard E. Fulton of Winston-Salem, N.C., a sophomore. After the initiations and ‘feed’ the members retired to their respective quarters. At two o’clock in the morning a fire broke out in the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house next door and before it could be checked had destroyed the large Sigma Alpha Epsilon house, our house, and the Sigma Nu house. The quick action of the student body saved practically all our furnishings as well as those of the other houses, and prevented a wider spread of the flames."

(the above report is from franbecque.com/botd-thomas-wolfe-pi-kappa-phi)

(Via UNC Postcard collection)

View north east, circa 1910 (via UNC)

View north east, circa 1918 (via UNC)

The North Carolina chapter of the Sigma Nu fraternity was established at the University of North Carolina in 1888.

This Sigma Nu "frat hall" was built circa 1900. It was destroyed/burned in the January 8, 1919 fire on Fraternity Row.

View north west (via UNC Postcard collection)

View north east, circa 1918 (via UNC)

The North Carolina chapter of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity was established at the University of North Carolina in 1857; it was suspended in 1862 (due to the Civil War), and reestablished in 1885.

This S.A.E. "frat hall" was built circa 1910; the fraternity previously occupied a building to the east of their new one. The building was destroyed/burned in the January 8, 1919 fire on Fraternity Row that started in the rear of this structure.

This one-story, three-room structure was built in 1895 to replace the earlier infirmary.

In 1891 students began paying an annual infirmary fee of five dollars, which entitled them to medical attention at no further charge. With income from this fees and with the financial assistance of Harry S. Lake (a UNC alumnus from New York City), the university was able to build this infirmary. It was run by Dr. Richard H. Whitehead, who was the university's first dean of the School of Medicine. Dr. Charles S. Mangum also attended patients here. Since it was often vacant, it was also used used as housing for visiting university trustees.

In 1907, the structure was purchased and moved to a nearby property on Columbia Street by Dr. Eric Abernethy, when the new infirmary (Abernethy Hall) was constructed in 1907.

View west, circa 1900 (Image via UNC)

Built in 1935 on what was at the time private property that had been purchased in August 1933 by the Atlantic Corporation. North Carolina textile magnate Kenneth S. Tanner (UNC class of 1911) had the structure built for use by his son and four other students for use as a dwelling and clubhouse. It was designed by Charlotte architect Martin Boyer and built by local contractor Brodie S. Thompson.

View west, 1965 (image via the Bob Wonderly collection)

View west,1968 (via UNC)

During World War Two, the Tanner family loaned the building to the Carolina Volunteer Training Corps for use as their headquarters. After being gifted to the university, the structure was variously used as housing for nursing students, housed the computer sciences department and was home to the Institute for the Arts and Humanities. It was last used as the Carolina Asia Center.

This is one of the structures that wasn't able to survive the Moeser-Kapp regime (2000-2008); it was demolished in August 2006. 

2006

In 1909 or early 1910, Jesse Jones opened "The Coop,” a members-only dining facility that catered to university students, especially fraternity members. It was located east of (just to the rear of) the present-day Ackland Art Museum building, near several fraternity houses. 

Jones died August 1, 1912, but his business was continued by Harrison Neville.

The Coop was enlarged and expanded (structure-wise) and its main entrance moved to the south side of the structure in 1916 or 1917. The business moved from this original location to a new building next door (to the east) in 1917 or 1918. In 1921, a take-off of the Coop, named "The Cabin," occupied this original Coop building and continued in operation until 1935. 

The buildings were likely demolished when the Ackland Art Museum was built in 1958. 

The Coop, view west, 1910

1911 Sanborn map excerpt (circled in red)

1915 Sanborn map excerpt ("Restrt")

1916

1917

View north, 1921

1925 Sanborn map excerpt (structure #8)

View south east, 1926

View north, 1927

1927 plat map; the Cabin is on Lot #6

View north, 1929

1932 Sanborn map excerpt (structure #8)

View north, 1933