Page:The Fraternity and the Undergraduate (1923).pdf/182

 firm agreed to lend us twelve thousand dollars for twelve years at five and one-half per cent on a first mortgage, and this amount made it seem possible for us to begin the house. We had hoped to get by with eighteen thousand dollars and since a local business man agreed to give us three thousand dollars on a second mortgage, we felt that the house was as good as built and began to save money for furniture.

As soon as the money was in sight a committee was appointed with full power to select an architect, approve of plans, and get things moving. This was in the spring of 1906. We had a number of sketches presented. It was thought at first that for the sake of sentiment and perhaps to save a little money, it would be desirable to have one of our brothers design the house; but I had learned long ago that no one is likely to save much money by letting his relatives work for him, or in fact, in working for them, and it was not long before we were all agreed that the wisest plan for us was to employ the best architect we could get, even if we had to go to Boston to find him. This we did, and he made us a plan which was simple and dignified and which still causes our house, although it is nearly the oldest one about the campus, to be admired and praised by visitors to the University for its beauty and convenient ar-