Preliminary work has begun on the demolition of the former Tufts chapter of Zeta Psi fraternity at 80 Professors Row, with the structure and its foundation set to be removed by commencement.
Tufts purchased the property from the Zeta Psi national organization in 2024 with the intention to demolish the house, given its “severe state of disrepair,” according to a statement from Barbara Stein, vice president for operations. Zeta Psi was disbanded in 2021 for violating Tufts’ COVID-19 guidelines.
Currently, the university’s contractor is in the process of obtaining a demolition permit from the city of Somerville. Following the demolition of the current structure, the area will be regraded with topsoil and loam, and grass seed will be planted to reshape the land.
“While our intent is to use the property for undergraduate housing, there are no specific details about the project’s style or timing for us to share yet,” Stein added.
“We continue to have more demand for housing than we can meet at the time of our junior/senior housing lottery process in the fall semester,” Christina Alch, director of the Office of Residential Life & Learning, wrote in a statement to the Daily. “Residential Life’s goal is to maximize the number of students we can house on campus, which we do by setting an intentional strategy each year.”
The demolition of 80 Professors Row is one of many initiatives Tufts is pursuing to expand undergraduate housing. Blakeley Hall is being converted from graduate housing for The Fletcher School into undergraduate housing, with completion expected in August, adding 120 beds to the Medford/Somerville campus.
Additionally, site preparation for the construction of the new Boston Avenue residence hall began on the week of April 14. Temporary fencing along Boston Avenue and near Hill Hall and Hillside Apartments has been set up in preparation for the commencement of construction.
The university has previously converted former fraternity housing to graduate student housing.
In fall 2024, 123 Packard Ave., the former house of the fraternity Theta Delta Chi, was renovated to house students in Fletcher.
The new residence hall will expand housing to more than 660 junior and senior undergraduate students, bringing more upperclassmen from off-campus housing back into on-campus apartment-style housing.
“It is important to us that students consider our housing to be high quality and spaces they want to live in. Our office works closely with Residential Facilities and Campus Renewal to recommend improvements to our existing spaces,” Alch wrote.
