Kearney, Nebraska
The University of Nebraska at Kearney’s (UNK) updated fraternity and sorority housing options, Martin and Armstrong halls, feature space for 250 students. Martin Hall, a renovated building for fraternities, was transformed from a 70-year-old residence hall into a modern student living option. Armstrong Hall, a new build for sororities that opened in January 2024, replaced two matchstick buildings erected in 1991.
The original building for Martin Hall was erected in 1953, and after an 18-month upgrade and remodel of the 42,500-square-foot building, students were able to begin enjoying the space, which offers housing for 110 fraternity students as well as study spaces and lounges. The renovation also allowed UNK an option to repurpose the visually stunning Great Room originally designed by architects John Latenser & Sons of Omaha and now complete with remodeled fireplace and floor-to-ceiling windows. The fraternities prioritized community and meeting space to allow their chapters to celebrate and design their leadership experiences at UNK.
Armstrong Hall is a 41,000-square-foot building that offers housing for 140 sorority students. It shares the same design concepts as Martin Hall in that the sororities prioritized community and meeting space. Students were vocal in the design phase of development about how prioritizing community space would be the essence of how they craft their desired leadership experience at UNK. The build also allowed flexibility for the institution to have space beyond what was needed by Panhellenic chapters. They wanted to inspire multicultural Greek students with a space to meet and participate in shaping the campus leadership experience. Armstrong Hall is named after prestigious journalist and alumna, Bess Furman Armstrong. The official ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on February 1st, 2024, with members of the Armstrong family in attendance to commemorate the event.
Occupancy was uniquely developed for both Martin Hall and Armstrong Hall to allow an ebb and flow of chapter size. While each chapter has a specific pod of five to seven double rooms and two to three bathrooms for their members, there are plenty of flexible living spaces throughout the buildings to allow membership to expand or contract based on their own needs. The vision for this type of build was loud and clear in the design phase, and one of the challenges for the current housing professionals at UNK is reminding students that the rooms are doubles based on that design feedback.
In each building, furniture in the living spaces includes self-lofting beds, sturdy design drawers, and lockable desks. While some of the chapter room furniture was primarily ordered from Southwest Contract, students were given options to personalize their space with décor from other locations. Many of the chapters that personalized their space chose local Nebraska stores for those personal and down-home touches.
Both buildings have spacious chapter rooms in the basement where the fraternity and sorority life community can gather for their regular meetings, and the rooms come complete with closets to keep their ritual items safe and secure. KWK and BWBR architects were instrumental in helping the university navigate student and university needs. Each chapter has its own unique and personally decorated lounge on the first floor of the buildings with spacious study nooks, comfy couches, and egress doors bearing personalized monograms to showcase their unique attributes. There are also individualized study lounges for each chapter throughout the buildings near the designated spaces of each chapter.
“The Fraternity and Sorority Life residence life community on UNK’s campus has truly defined my senior year,” says Daylee Dey, a student, Gamma Phi Beta chapter president, and chancellor’s ambassador. “Living close to everyone has made me more involved, helped me build meaningful connections, and enhanced my overall campus experience.” — Trelana Daniel and Camille Perlman
Spotlight is your chance to show off recent construction or renovation projects. Member institutions and architects are encouraged to share details about hall features, related programs, and how they connect to the overall housing mission as well as photographs of the completed building. Share your success stories.
