Arkansas Soul 1

Black Student Experience

Rebekah Pipes
Racist Architecture: Greek Houses on UARK Campus

When walking around the University of Arkansas campus, it is almost impossible to miss the
large mansions surrounding the entirety of the campus. Whether you drive down Maple street or walk by
Stadium road, the views of three-story brick houses with large white columns and windows on every side
do not go unnoticed. They sit on top of the hill, looking down on those passing by.
In the 1920s, the
University of Arkansas welcomed
the first Panhellenic and
Interfraternity houses on campus:
Chi Omega and Kappa Sigma.
While both homes have now been
remodeled in recent years, the
original architectural design
remains. The National Pan-
Hellenic council was not
established at the UofA until the
1970s.

“There are seven black

organizations on campus, and
there are only houses for two of
them.”
-Destiny Bracy,
Student at University of
Arkansas

Greek Revival architecture became popular in the U.S. in the 18th century. While the north used
this style to represent freedom, southern states used this style of building to glorify a culture enabled by
slaves. Grand doorways, tall columns, all derived from Greek Revival. So while the sorority and fraternity
houses on campus technically are “Greek” styled houses, they more closely align with Antebellum
architecture. Antebellum architecture came out of the Greek Revival era, and are better known today as
plantation homes. We do not only see this architecture on campus, but at national banks, museums, and
many other official buildings throughout the country that still mirror a time when this architecture would
have been built by slaves for slave owners.
So my question is, why are the greek life houses at the UofA still being built like this? Is there
more to the story than just tradition or keeping the original look of the house?
Taking money into account, it is understandable that the Panhellenic and Interfraternity houses on
campus are larger than the National Pan-Hellenic houses, because they receive larger funds and,
therefore, have more to spend on their houses. However, almost all of the greek life houses around
campus have been remodeled or renovated within the last ten years, and the last time I checked, the
University knew of the controversial and offensive connotations this architecture style holds.
Jaylon Hill, a student at the UofA, and a member of a National Pan-Hellenic chapter says that
“Something that stuck out to me is how they have their ways of scoping out the campus from any area of
their house as if it was a plantation. But at the same time, it just seems like the architecture is made for
that.”
Hill also shared with me that not only does the architecture make him uneasy, but that the “white
fraternities don’t let me in their house unless they think I play football. They stress Greek unity on
campus, but don’t do anything to stop discrimination and help with diversity so people can feel more
Arkansas Soul 2

comfortable.” There are more issues with the

greek life system at Arkansas than just the
physical features of some of the houses.
Not every house on campus follows the
Antebellum or Colonial Revival (another
popular building style for plantation homes)
architecture. The newer Delta Delta Delta and
the Alpha Delta Pi houses have their own
character. However, the Delta Gamma and
Kappa Delta houses, just built-in 2019, cannot
say the same.
Destiny Bracy, a student at the UofA,
says that while she might not be a part of greek
life on campus, she still notices
the mansions surrounding her
on her walks to class. I agree
with Destiny when she told me
that she thinks the newer
houses definitely could have
been built differently. I asked
her if she remembers the first
time she felt something by
seeing the homes and she
opened up to me how “a while
back, I think a specific moment
where I felt uncomfortable was
when I was in the African
American studies department’s
lounge area, and could see one
of the sorority houses through
the window. I just thought it was ironic because I’m sitting in a space that’s supposed to be comfortable
for black students, yet everywhere I go, I see these huge houses that remind me of slavery.”
What can we do to change this? Is there anything the university and greek life can do to make
black students more comfortable on campus, or do we simply leave it up to them to take offense if they
choose to? Asking opinions from white students, many expressed that it is a choice to be offended by the
homes instead of being thankful that our campus is surrounded by such beauty. One point that was
brought to my attention was how these buildings should in fact keep this architecture style to remind us of
our dark history, but at the same time, encourage us that those acts are no longer being taken place. The
art of redemption. I cannot help but think whether or not the Antebellum architecture can redeem itself to
become a symbol of unity and not longer something to be afraid of. So, with these points brought to my
attention, is this now a two sided conversation?
Arkansas Soul 3

Towards the end of our conversation,

Hill shared that, “It is an issue, from the sound
of it, and a lot of the things that are reported
happening at some of the parties at the fraternity
houses shouldn’t be tolerated either. I feel like a
lot of things are just swept under the rug because
of their ‘privilege’.” While I do not have a firm
answer to how the university can fix some of
these deep-rooted issues within our campus, I
believe starting the conversation, and having
gone ears to both sides, is a small step in the
right direction. After all, the University of
Arkansas is in the south- a place with a rich
history that many are working on learning from.
I wish we could move a little faster, but I see the
drive and desire from students on our campus,
like Destiny and Jaylon, to start asking the hard
questions and I know this campus has the ability
to make every student feel at home.