While Tri Sigma National Headquarters is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 100% of NHQ staff work remotely across the U.S. To keep members informed of our recent move, we compiled a list of questions in our FAQ below.
Mail to National Headquarters and the Foundation should be addressed to 1506 E. Franklin St., Suite 300, Chapel Hill, NC 27514. Visit our Contact Us page for more information or to send us a message.
The COVID-19 pandemic prompted many societal changes. Organizations across all industries and sectors—including NPC organizations—began rethinking the use of physical office spaces. In 2021, Executive Council sought a detailed, third-party feasibility study to revisit the physical space needs of NHQ. It was determined that two buildings totaling12,240 square feet were no longer needed to meet Tri Sigma’s space needs.
After extensive discussion and review of the findings—as well as a review of previous feasibility studies—Executive Council has determined it is in the best long-term financial interest of Tri Sigma to sell both Walton House and the adjacent administrative offices located in Woodstock, Virginia. While listed as separate properties, a local resident and long-time admirer of the Walton House purchased both in the spring of 2024.
A more detailed overview can be found in the most recent issue of The Triangle.
Tri Sigma owns a property in Chapel Hill that previously housed Tri Sigma’s Delta Delta Chapter. As the chapter is no longer active on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill, it will provide an efficient transition of operations, accommodate the ever-evolving needs of our membership, and provide the space needed to house and showcase Tri Sigma’s archives collection.
The first floor of the property in Chapel Hill is ADA-compliant and close in proximity to a major airport. This will make travel to NHQ more accessible to staff, volunteers, and other visitors. Its close proximity to three major universities will also provide expanded opportunities for larger in-person meetings and events.
While we are still excited to move into this property, we aren’t there just yet. We have secured a small office space in Chapel Hill to temporarily house our base of operations while the house’s current occupants finish their rental agreement and minor updates and renovations can be made to accommodate our space needs.
The closure agreement between Tri Sigma and UNC-Chapel Hill states that the possibility for re-establishment will occur no sooner than 2029. A return to campus after that time will only occur when conditions are mutually ideal for both the university and Tri Sigma.
When and if that opportunity becomes available in the future, we will explore whatever new or existing housing options are needed to make Tri Sigma competitive on campus.
Walton House will always be an important part of Tri Sigma’s history. We look forward to ensuring it is featured and celebrated in our permeant archives collection.
We don’t have to have a physical administrative space in Virginia to celebrate our connection there. As the home of several collegiate and alumnae chapters—as well as thousands of individual members—Tri Sigma will continue to have a thriving presence in the Mother of States.
It may surprise you to learn that—contrary to popular belief—Mabel Lee did not grow up at Walton House, nor was it given to Tri Sigma after her death. Known as Muhlenberg Hall in the National Register of Historic Places, the house was built for her brother in 1914—10 years after Mabel Lee became a Sigma. It was never owned by Mabel Lee, nor was it donated to Tri Sigma. Following the 1962 Convention, Tri Sigma purchased the home the following year and renamed it the Mabel Lee Walton House.
The Walton House Board summed it up perfectly in their statement regarding the move:
Our Heart Home is a grand old lady who deserves to be treated with love and care. Unfortunately, the costs associated with such care have become beyond the reach of practicality, especially when coupled with the limited demand for the use of the property by Sigmas. This is a difficult decision for all of us on the Walton House Board. We love Walton House, but we love Sigma more.
A place where people have shared love and laughter is a sacred place and we will always love Walton House. But what made Walton House special was the people who visited it. Those bonds of sisterhood will remain along with our fond memories.
The Walton House Board stands in support of our sisters on Executive Council in their decision to sell Walton House.
In addition to the exciting opportunities ahead of us to showcase our archives in person, Tri Sigma has invested in a digital magazine archive to make historical information accessible to members across the country. This—coupled with the Oral History Project—has made it possible for members to revisit our past without the time and expense of traveling to a small town in rural Virginia.
It’s also important to note that, while Woodstock has been the longest-running and most significant home of Tri Sigma’s base of operations, it was not the first. Prior to Sigma’s purchase of the Walton House in the 1960s, the national office had previously moved to wherever the current national president lived.
Tri Sigma’s legacy is more than a building—it is 125 years of sisterhood which extend far beyond Walton House.
We are happy to share that the bunk beds have been donated to a nonprofit organization called GAP in the Shenandoah Valley. GAP—which stands for Grandparents as Parents—is a group of grandparents and other relatives raising children unable to live with their birth parents. Each family has their own story of how they returned to parenting once again, be it from issues related to abuse, neglect, abandonment, or the death of one or both parents. Volunteers for GAP were extremely grateful to receive this donation and assured us they would be put to good use.
Some of the furnishings purchased for specific rooms of the Walton House have been sold to the buyer and will remain at 225 N. Muhlenberg. The NHQ sign and commemorative bricks have been relocated to our future property in Chapel Hill.
An email was sent to all members with email addresses listed in our database. If you did not receive it, there are three possible reasons:
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You have previously unsubscribed from Tri Sigma emails.
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We do not have your current email address.
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It went to your email’s “junk” or “spam” folder.
Please review your contact information and communications preferences at SigmaConnect.TriSigma.org. If you have not received a Tri Sigma email in the last year and feel you may have unsubscribed in error, please contact us.
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