by BOTWC Staff

This is how history is preserved!

The former home of Ethel Hedgemon Lyle, the principle founder of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. will be transformed into a women’s museum in the near future.

The Gamma Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha was looking for a location for the Ivy Alliance Foundation, the sorority’s nonprofit, when one of its members came across the three-story property that was slated for demolition. The chapter immediately took matters into their own hands and contacted the home’s owner, developer Paul McKee. He was delighted to sell it to the sorority, calling it a “unique opportunity to support their initiative.”

The property will be renovated for $4 million. It will soon have a 12,000-square-foot community center adjacent to it that will demonstrate the true act of community by providing residents with job opportunities and skill training. Construction is expected to begin next fall and be completed by the summer of 2024.

“Developing underdeveloped areas is a great thing,” Tracey Clark Jeffries, a sorority member who discovered the property tagged, said. What we hope is that it will benefit the people in the community. We want to be there to assist them in reaping the benefits.”

The chapter is currently accepting donations for the renovation, and a public land dedication ceremony will be held in St. Louis on December 2.

We can’t wait to see how things develop!

Photo: Twitter/Xi Omega AKA/ Gamma Omega chapter