The Thorsen house in Berkeley, is the last of Greene & Greene's Ultimate Bungalows. Completed in 1910, it has, amazingly, been home to a fraternity for more than 60 years. An atypical fraternity as the brothers of Sigma Phi have been good stewards of this gem. Even so, a 100 year-old structure is apt to need some work. That's where you can help. Please consider donating to the fund for restoration of the Thorsen house. This masterpiece, a recognized historic landmark, deserves to be returned to its full glory.

David Mathias

Well, I went to the fund raiser and toured the house. I have to say that it is in deplorable shape - you can only see this from the back yard, but the entire back end of the porch/loggia is rotten and the house is sinking.

This "fraternity" (now independent and not nationally affiliated) is fighting a losing battle. The most they do is cosmetic work such as fixing lights or building dining room chairs, ignoring the elephant in the room, the foundation. Their small and ever-changing membership size means they simply will never be able to raise the funds to save this house. One good earthquake and it's gone folks. The best thing they could do is to form a non-profit such as runs the Gamble house, and get some serious fund raising to save the foundation and the replace the HUGE chimneys (like they did at Gamble) before they crash through the roof.

That would mean vacating for considerable time which would kill off the already shrinking membership in the frat. As far as I can tell, renting rooms is the ONLY source of income they have. Members join (to find housing in Berkeley) graduate, move on, and have no attachment to the place. Half the people living there aren't even membesr, but boarders who could give a frig. (Some of them defiantly wouldn't even clean up their rooms for the fund raiser.) One or two alums who are architects care, but good wishes won't save this house.

That is simply not my experience. I have been in contact with members of Sigma Phi for several years, throughout the process of writing my book. I have personally communicated with several members who are passionate about the house. If not cleaning one's room indicates a disregard for one's home, then half of the teenagers in America are guilty of that crime. I don't think anyone would argue that the fraternity has sufficient funds for a restoration, hence the fundraiser that was just part of an ongoing effort.

As for the state of the house, it is a 100 year old wooden structure that has never undergone a significant restoration. Of course, it needs work. In addition to the problems with the exterior, interior spaces could use some care but considering that the house has been home to college students for nearly 70 years, I stand by my statement that it is in remarkable condition.

David

My experience is very similar to David's. I have visited the Thorsen house several times over the last several years. With every visit I am impressed by the student’s passion for the house. I have also met many former students who are very committed to the house - long after their fraternity days.

David and Darrell, thanks for your posts, we deeply appreciate it, and Bette, let me start by thanking you for attending the fundraiser - we appreciate the support that shows as well as your concern for the future of our beloved home. However there were a number of mistaken impressions in your post I'd like to address.

Sigma Phi's chapter in Berkeley is part of Sigma Phi Society, a national fraternity, and has been since 1912 when the chapter was launched, back when future Chief Justice Earl Warren was a undergraduate member of it. It is however "independent" in the sense that it is not a member of the Inter-Fraternity Council or "Greek System" on campus, which, partly because of our focus on our house, we never felt we fit into (we're not really a typical "frat"). Our national fraternity organization actively supports the efforts of the Berkeley chapter to restore our house through the Thorsen House Restoration Fund section of the Sigma Phi Educational Foundation.

Our alumni are actually known as some of the most loyal there are among fraternities, and there are many who have been putting their time and money into restoring the house for forty years and more. Hardly a week goes by that there are not alumni assisting the students in work on the house during their Saturday work sessions or working in committees to plan future work and raise money. So members certainly do not leave and forget about the place - quite the contrary. In fact, they never forget having lived there, and many show an extraordinary level of commitment to it.

Sigma Phi is small in size by tradition - only about 15 to 20 members. This meant that when the fraternity took up residence at the house in 1943 it had little need or desire to change the house, as that number of residents is actually close to the number the Greenes' designed it for (originally four family members, four guests and six servants). The chapter does not take in boarders during the regular year, only during the summer when fewer members are in residence - at that time of the year, again by longstanding tradition, the house residents are 50% women.

As for the needed seismic upgrade, far from ignoring it, it has been constantly on our minds since we first became aware of the issue many years ago. However the amount needed is millions, since we are determined to do it the right way - which is a tall order for a small organization of any kind. Other smaller projects have been done to keep the work on the house going while the ground was laid for an appeal to the public for donations. Sigma Phi's members have donated many hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years to the effort, as well as countless hours of time, but the seismic upgrade is something we will require help to fund.

David - good point on the tidiness or lack thereof of student rooms. And given the amount of time the brothers have been putting in on the house while attending one of the most academically challenging universities in the world, U.C. Berkeley, it's not surprising if they don't have a lot of time to clean their rooms. Last Saturday they were putting in time refinishing the walking surface of the west balcony, working on the garden, getting the post sockets in the perimeter wall ready for the reconstruction of the original post and beam fence, and still found time to give a tour to a group from Barcelona. and this is not by any means an atypical Saturday.

As for the furnishings of the house, relatively little money has been invested in this over the years, and even then because we recognized that it was important to for fundraising events. The Greene and Greene style dining room chairs are really the result not of money but sweat equity - they were designed by architecture students in the house in the early 90's, parts crafted by Berkeley Mills who generously made them for less than cost, and then assembled and finished at the house by members. The costs of these and other furnishings were the result of earmarked donations for the purpose.

Bette raises some good points. I had a similar reaction to hers when I first visited The Thorsen House for a fundraiser a couple of years ago. It’s beautiful, but it's true; the backyard is not landscaped as it once was, there is deferred maintenance, the foundation and chimneys need seismic retrofitting. And yes, to accomplish this and more, there is an urgent need for fundraising. But I also agree with others, the house is in truly remarkable condition for it's age. This is particularly so in the main rooms most characteristic of the Greene’s fully realized artistry.

I’m happy to report that a new group formed late last year to address the need. It’s in the midst of creating a charitable non-profit right now. I’ve been involved in that effort and can attest that an energized group is working hard to bring it to fruition. Many are just like me, having no affiliation with the fraternity. But together we all share a love for the Greene’s architecture and a desire to see the house restored and protected for future generations.

These new fundraising efforts have come about because it is so clear that the scale of the fundraising effort is far beyond the means of the fraternity. Both the fraternity and the broader community recognize this and together we’re doing something about it. It’s an observation and a result perfectly in alignment with Bette’s comments.

We all hope and are encouraged that The Friends of the Thorsen House will achieve the restoration goals the house so rightly deserves. Look for updates on our progress in the not so distant future.

Greg