Spring 2026 Newsletter | Triangle Building & Housing Corporation Triangle Building & Housing Corp.
BUILDING TRIANGLE'S FUTURE
THE WINDOWS THAT WOULDN’T BUDGE And What They Taught Us About Protecting Our Home
“When housing improves, chapters improve. Standards rise. Pride increases. Alumni gain peace of mind.”
Every Chapter Has “That Thing”
As Scott Powers, MSU Chapter Coach, explains:
If you lived in your chapter’s fraternity house, you know. There’s always that thing. The door that never quite shut. The draft you could never quite fix. The window that stuck — every single year. At Michigan State, it was the windows. For decades.
“Replacing the windows on the chapter house has always been at the top of everyone’s list. The old single-pane windows did very little to insulate from outside temperatures and many allowed drafts as if they were wide open. Aside from the cost itself, the chapter house sits in a historic district making it even more challenging to change anything exterior-facing on the house. The completion of this project has had a very positive impact on the chapter.”
Old aluminum, single-pane frames that oxidized, warped, and let outside air flow in as if they were open. Every class worked around them. Every group of alumni left knowing… they were still there.
The challenge wasn’t just the price tag — nearly $150,000 — but also navigating historic district requirements and municipal approvals. This is where the Triangle Building and Housing Corporation made the difference.
Not because no one cared.
When Stewardship Meets Strategy
But because meaningful housing improvements take planning, capital, and persistence.
After acquiring the Michigan State chapter house, TBHC invested nearly $500,000 into stabilizing and improving the property — from rebuilding a failing basement wall to modernizing interiors and strengthening infrastructure.
A Project Years in the Making Replacing the windows had long been a priority for the chapter.
But TBHC operates differently than short-term volunteer boards. Projects must fit within a long-term