Theta Xi Fraternity Chapter House

Last updated
Theta Xi Fraternity Chapter House
USA New York location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location1490 Sage Ave., Troy, New York
Coordinates 42°43′50″N73°40′31″W / 42.73056°N 73.67528°W / 42.73056; -73.67528
Area0.65 acres (0.26 ha)
Built1931 (1931)
Built byRosch Brothers
ArchitectLawlor, Joseph M.
Architectural styleTudor Revival
NRHP reference No. 13000911 [1]
Added to NRHPDecember 11, 2013

Theta Xi Fraternity Chapter House, also known as the Alpha of Theta Xi Fraternity Chapter House, or less formally as The Zoo, is a historic fraternity house associated with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and located at Troy, Rensselaer County, New York. It was built in 1931 as a chapter house for Theta Xi fraternity, and is a 2+12-story, irregular "T" plan, Tudor Revival style hollow tile building with a brick veneer. It sits on a poured concrete foundation and has a tall slate gable roof. The building features an entry pavilion, half-timbering, and a Tudor arch limestone entryway. [2] :3

Contents

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013. [1]

History of the Property Acquisition and Construction

The first recorded attempts of the fraternity to secure land owned by the university occurred in 1910, through letters sent to the then school president and brother Palmer C. Ricketts. [3] However, due to the schools long term plans to expand creating more dormitories along with a graduate program the only one plot of land was available at the time. This land was described as a "hillside nobody would think to build on," and "practically useless", by the then president and would later become the E-Complex dormitory. [4] [5] That year, a different plot of land was purchased from the university for $25,000 in the area where the Sage Dining Hall and RPI Playhouse currently reside. A proposal for the construction was created by brothers in 1913 for this plot of land, but was never acted upon due to a lack of funding.

In 1921, the alumni of the chapter reorganized to reopen the discussion of building a permanent establishment for the chapter. Following one more acquisition and selling of a property on 15th Street in 1926, the final plot on Sage Avenue was purchased. Redesigns for this new property were proposed at that time by architects Joseph M. Lawlor, but due to the Great Depression were not able to be acted upon until 1931. [3] An offer for the construction of the house for $50,000, gracious for the time, was agreed upon, split half between money owned by the chapter and loans taken out from a local bank.

On June 13,1931, the construction commenced with brother Ricketts placing the first stone. A crowd of around 100 was present including many alumni responsible for the organization and ultimate completion of the chapter house. By its eventual completion in September of the same year, the building had taken more than 20 years of effort and upwards of $57,000 for its completion. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute</span> Private research university in Troy, New York, US (established 1824)

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is a private research university in Troy, New York, with an additional campus in Hartford, Connecticut. A third campus in Groton, Connecticut, closed in 2018. RPI was established in 1824 by Stephen Van Rensselaer and Amos Eaton for the "application of science to the common purposes of life" and is the oldest technological university in the English-speaking world and the Western Hemisphere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh</span> Public university in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, U.S.

The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh is a public university in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System and offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs to around 14,000 students each year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North American fraternity and sorority housing</span> Residential aspect of Greek life

North American fraternity and sorority housing refers largely to the houses or housing areas in which fraternity and sorority members live and work together. In addition to serving as housing, fraternity and sorority housing may also serve to host social gatherings, meetings, and functions that benefit the community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North American Interfraternity Conference</span> Trade association of collegiate mens fraternities

The North American Interfraternity Conference is an association of intercollegiate men's social fraternities that was formally organized in 1910, although it began at a meeting at the University Club of New York on November 27, 1909. The power of the organization rests in a House of Delegates in which each member fraternity is represented by a single delegate. However, the group's executive and administrative powers are vested in an elected board of directors consisting of nine volunteers from various NIC fraternities. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, the NIC has a small professional staff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dartmouth College fraternities and sororities</span> Host to Greek organizations

Dartmouth College is host to many fraternities and sororities, and a significant percentage of the undergraduate student body is active in Greek life. In 2005, the school stated that 1,785 students were members of a fraternity, sorority, or coeducational Greek house, comprising about 43 percent of all students, or about 60 percent of the eligible student body. Greek organizations at Dartmouth provide both social and residential opportunities for students, and are the only single-sex residential option on campus. Greek organizations at Dartmouth do not provide dining options, as regular meals service has been banned in Greek houses since 1909.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theta Xi</span> American college social fraternity

Theta Xi (ΘΞ) is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity. It was founded at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) on April 29, 1864. Of all the social fraternities today, Theta Xi was the only one founded during the Civil War. Its Grand Lodge is headquartered in downtown Atlanta. Since its inception, Theta Xi has grown to include more than 60,000 initiated members. Currently, there are approximately 45 active chapters, and 1 colony. The Theta Xi Fraternity Chapter House at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delta Phi</span> American collegiate fraternity

Delta Phi (ΔΦ) is a fraternity founded in 1827 at Union College in Schenectady, New York consisting of ten active chapters along the East Coast of the United States. The fraternity also uses the names "St. Elmo," "St. Elmo Hall," or merely "Elmo" because of its relation to Erasmus of Formia with some chapters known almost exclusively by one of these names on their respective campuses. Delta Phi was, after the Kappa Alpha Society and Sigma Phi Society, the third and last member of the Union Triad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William H. Wiley</span> American politician

William Halsted Wiley, was an American Republican Party politician who represented New Jersey's 8th congressional district from 1903 to 1907 and from 1909 to 1911, and was also a co-founder and former president of the publishing company John Wiley & Sons.

Welch Hall is a historic residence located at 24 E Stewart Rd on Oak Hill in Columbia, Missouri. The residence is home to the University of Missouri chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. The site was recognized by the Columbia Historic Preservation Commission as one of the city's Most Notable Historic Properties in 2004. It was nominated for the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rensselaer Society of Engineers</span>

The Rensselaer Society of Engineers (RSE) is a social fraternity founded in 1866 at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. Originally named The Pi Eta Scientific Society, the organization was incorporated in 1873 in the state of New York. Arriving on campus at about the same time as some of the first fraternities, it has remained one of the oldest "local" organizations in the U.S. RSE is the only independent fraternity at Rensselaer. They have chosen to remain independent to maintain the freedom to set their own policies and make their own managerial decisions. Contrary to what their name may imply, members major not only in engineering, but also in such disciplines as science, management, architecture, and the arts. Society members are active in not only campus and local activities, but are also in many national organizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elliott and Stoddard Halls</span> Dormitory buildings in Oxford, OH

Elliott and Stoddard Halls are the two oldest remaining buildings on Miami University's Oxford Ohio campus today. Built in 1825 (Elliott) and 1836 (Stoddard), they were designed in the Federal style and modeled after Connecticut Hall at Yale University. They continue to be used as dormitory buildings, making them the two oldest college dormitories still in use in Ohio. They were the original dormitories on the campus and were built to house students who attended classes at Miami's campus. They have both been through a number of renovations, most recently in 2011. The dorms are located in between the two academic quads located in the center of Miami's campus. They face another landmark on the campus, the Miami University seal. Over time they have become landmarks on the campus and are considered two of the most prestigious dorms to live in. They are also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, they house students in the Scholar Leaders program. The buildings are named for early Miami professors Charles Elliott and Orange Nash Stoddard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michigan Alpha Chapter House of Phi Delta Theta</span> Historic house in Michigan, U.S.

The Phi Delta Theta House located at 1437 Washtenaw Ave., Ann Arbor, Michigan, is a splendid example of Georgian Revival architecture. The house, finished in 1903, is on the Michigan Register of Historic Places. It is located near the southeast edge of the University of Michigan's Central Campus.

Palmer Chamberlain Ricketts was the ninth president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He served as president for 33 years and oversaw a period of major expansion and development of the university.

The history of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) spans nearly two hundred years beginning with its founding in 1824. RPI is the oldest continuously operating technological university in both the English-speaking world and the Americas. The Institute was the first to grant a civil engineering degree in the United States, in 1835. More recently, RPI also offered the first environmental engineering degree in the United States in 1961, and possibly the first ever undergraduate degree in video game design, in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sigma Delta Rho (local)</span>

Sigma Delta Rho (ΣΔΡ) was a fraternity formerly active at Amherst College that eventually affiliated with Theta Xi before reverting to local status as Alpha Theta Xi, thereafter becoming defunct as a chapter but continuing as a co-ed cooperative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Law, Law & Potter</span> American architect

Law, Law & Potter was an architecture firm in Madison, Wisconsin; Potter Lawson, Inc. is its modern-day successor. Some of its buildings are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places for their architecture. The firm was Madison's largest and "arguably most important" architectural firm in the 1920s and 1930s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity House (Moscow, Idaho)</span> United States historic place

The Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity House is a historic fraternity house in Moscow, Idaho. It was built in 1932 for the Idaho Alpha chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon at the University of Idaho. The house was designed by architect Charles I. Carpenter in the Colonial Revival style. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since December 31, 1993.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register of Historic Places Listings". Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 12/09/13 through 12/13/13. National Park Service. 2013-12-20.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. "Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS)" (Searchable database). New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation . Retrieved 2015-12-01.Note: This includes Karen Lang Kummer (May 2013). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Theta Xi Fraternity Chapter House" (PDF). Retrieved 2015-12-01. and Accompanying photographs
  3. 1 2 3 Glaccum, Matt. "1490 Sage Ave: Home Away From Home". Alumni of the Alpha Chapter of Theta Xi. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  4. "Map of the initial proposed location for the chapter house" (PDF). Alumni of the Alpha Chapter of Theta Xi. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  5. "Letter between the Alpha Chapter and President Ricketts" (PDF). Alumni of the Alpha Chapter of Theta Xi. Retrieved 13 February 2022.