DUANE
Duane's take
Here's what the official marker has to say, and I'm gonna do my best to do it justice. Now, some stories start with a bang — a gunfight, a flood, a cattle drive gone sideways. This one starts quieter than that, but don't let that fool you.
This is a story about women who knew what they wanted and were willing to wait for it. The Kappa Chapter of Zeta Tau Alpha women's fraternity was chartered at the University of Texas in 1906. That's the starting gun.
And from that moment, the chapter was on the move — residing in houses at several locations near the University campus during those early years, never quite settling, always searching for the right place to plant a flag. Then, in 1927, they found their lot. On Nueces Street.
They bought it, and they made plans. Now here's where the story gets interesting, because making plans and breaking ground are two very different things. The Austin architectural firm of Page Southerland designed the structure — a two-story Neoclassical-style brick house with a symmetrical main façade, square columns, double-hung windows, an entrance with a broken pediment, and a roof-line balustrade.
It was drawn up, dreamed about, and ready to go. But construction? Construction didn't come until 1939.
That's twelve years of waitin', folks. What finally moved things along was the purchase of additional adjoining lots — and once those were in hand, the shovels went in the ground and that house rose on Nueces Street. Additions came later — to the rear of the house, in 1965, and again in 1975 — the chapter keeping the place alive and growing as the decades rolled through.
What started as a charter in 1906, became a lot in 1927, became a house in 1939, and is still standing today. That's not just a building. That's patience, persistence, and a plan that never let go.
What the marker says
The Kappa Chapter of Zeta Tau Alpha women’s fraternity was chartered at the University of Texas in 1906. After residing in houses in several locations near the University campus during its early years, the chapter purchased this Nueces Street lot in 1927 and made plans to build a new chapter house at the site. The Austin architectural firm of Page Southerland designed the structure, and when additional adjoining lots were purchased construction finally occurred in 1939. The two-story Neoclassical-style brick house has a symmetrical main façade, square columns, double-hung windows, entrance with broken pediment, and roof-line balustrade. Additions to the rear of the house were made in 1965 and 1975. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark – 2011