Charlottesville City Council to hear appeal for 144 Chancellor Street

In January, the Board of Architectural Review denied a request from the sorority Delta Zeta to demolish 144 Chancellor Street. The group wants to make use of the property but it is within an architectural design control district which requires the BAR’s approval before a structure can be removed.

At the time, Planning Commissioner and BAR member Carl Schwarz said he had sympathy for the group but the appointed body had to weigh the proposal against the city’s guidelines.

“I think you’re right that it probably has served its use in the neighborhood,” Schwarz said. “So you take it to City Council, you appeal it. If they deny you guys, you put it on the market for a year and then if no one buys it, you tear it down.”

That quote originally appeared in a story I wrote for C-Ville Weekly.

The Delta Zeta Housing Corporation submitted a letter to Council on February 5 to request the appeal. This document counters an allegation made by a BAR member at the January 22 meeting that the structure known as the Annex was neglected.

“DZ-NHC demonstrated good stewardship of the Annex by replacing the asphalt shingle roof in January of 2011 following storm damage,” reads the letter from Executive Vice President John Gottschall. “The structural issues have been present in the building for years, dating to before DZ-NHC ownership of the annex in 1979.”

There was also discussion of the building’s possible use as a school. Gottschall said there was no evidence offered and seeks granting of a Certificate of Appropriateness for the sorority’s demolition request.

Council’s first meeting of May is on May 5.

Before you go: This segment was originally sent out in the April 21, 2025 edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement and then posted here two days later. Should the window be tighter? Yes. The system is still being formed. Want to support this work? I’m now routing people to this page.