Legacy Endures on Main Street

While a number of the small houses that compose Middlebury’s campus have served various roles throughout the history of the College, the conversion of Munford House and Meeker House is, for many, reminiscent of the school’s wild “Fraternity Days.”

The return of the largest senior class in the history of the College brought a need for increased residential living space and the refurbishment of the two houses “on the hill” that served as the social centers of campus life for decades. Meeker was the Sigma Epsilon house and Munford was home to Chi Psi fraternity.

In the “hey day of the frats (1970s and 80s),” said Karl Lindholm, former Dean of Students and current Dean of Cook Commons, “[Meeker and Munford] were the strongest and most lively places.” Nearly 90 percent of all men at Middlebury were members of a fraternity.

“Those houses had an enormous presence at one time,” said Doug Adams, associate dean of students.

Eventually falling out of favor however, the fraternities closed their doors, and the College bought the houses during the hostile “Fraternity Wars” of the early 1990s.

“Munford and Meeker houses were in terrible shape,” said Lindholm.

As a result, the school performed a massive renovation of the two houses, ensuring that they were once again brought up to code.

Meeker House and Munford House, upon their conversion into the Advancement and Development offices in 1992, were no longer the hub of Middlebury’s party scene. Social houses constructed on the Ridgeline became both their descendants and replacements.

“It’s kind of ironic that the sites that once held huge and wild parties next served as office space,” said Lindholm, who recalled that during his years as a student, parties at Munford and Meeker houses were often shut down or cited for noise ordinances by the neighborhood.

The most recent conversion of the two buildings occurred when the administration realized that because Middlebury guarantees every student housing  the College needed more residential living space.

The Facilities Services Department undertook the summer project. Both houses were already equipped with plumbing and lighting, but it was still seen by Adams as a “relatively major renovation.”

Almost exclusively singles, the new living spaces in Meeker and Munford “Potluck”- and “Music”-themed groups, respectively.  Their return to social and entertainment spaces speaks to Lindholm’s observation that a lot of Middlebury’s outlying buildings have “fulfilled multiple purposes over time.”

Current Residents on Munford House

“The fact that the house was just renovated and is mostly singles is awesome. I feel like the atmosphere here is more social than in other housing options.” — Kate Strangfeld ’12

“It’s very neat to see remnants of the old parts of the building, like the painting and details in the basement.” — Yen Le ’12

“I lived in Coffrin and Allen, so living on this side of campus is fun and different. I like being closer to more academic buildings.” — Nicole Glaser ’12

“It’s so nice that we don’t have the intense social atmosphere of a fraternity, while at the same time we can get together and share and enjoy music with one another.” — Graeme Daubert ’12

Current Residents on Meeker House

“Though I don’t know much about its history, it’s appropriate that it’s a house again. I’m glad the house fit what the College needed.” — Sasha Rivera ’12

“The building and the people in it are so great. What the school did to refurbish it is awesome. “ — Daniel Chan ’11

“Living in the house is interesting; it’s not just a living space. We have a mission as a themed house and I’m glad we can fulfill that here.” — Matthew Wolf ’12

“The house itself is really lovely, and the rooms are a comfortable size. “ — Hannah Gorton ’11