After decades without a home to call their own, LSU’s Delta Tau Delta fraternity is reshaping its place on campus
As locals take summer strolls down Lakeshore Drive, they may notice a new development on LSU’s campus. After being a part of the campus community for 60 years, the Epsilon Kappa chapter of Delta Tau Delta broke ground on a new residential house in May.
The chapter president, Aidan Sherer, says this is a huge milestone for the organization.
“For the first time in over 20 years, we’ll finally reside in a house that we can call our own,” he says.
Architect Will Tibaut says creating that home-like feeling was the priority for this project. He notes that creating a fraternity house is much more personal than a typical commercial student housing project. From designing spaces that foster academic success to incorporating the chapter’s identity, he says thoughtful architecture can encourage interactions that build stronger relationships.
“The way spaces connect, where people naturally gather and even how the house is organized all influence how members experience it day-to-day,” Tibaut notes. “Our goal was to create a home that brings people together while still giving everyone places to focus, recharge and feel comfortable. That’s really what this project is about—designing a place that supports the experiences that happen inside it.”
While the design team is carefully curating this home, they are mixing LSU’s style with nods to the chapter’s traditions. After studying architectural details of the university’s buildings, the team is finding a way to make this new building feel like it’s always been a part of campus. The house also pays tribute to the fraternity’s identity as the project integrates the “four pillars” of Delta Tau Delta in the courtyard’s design. Tibaut says the level of design and finish in this home is a step above what people may expect from a fraternity house.
“For the chapter, this new house is a manifestation of years of hard work,” says Sherer.
The project’s groundbreaking ceremony was especially meaningful to the chapter as it brought together current members and alumni. For members who helped recharter the chapter, Sherer says the ceremony marked the realization of a goal they had been working toward for years.
This house represents more than a new place to live for the chapter. Sherer says it will strengthen the organization’s presence on campus while creating new opportunities to serve the greater Baton Rouge area through expanded philanthropic efforts.
