Zeta Psi Fraternity House at Lafayette College

Last updated
Zeta Psi Fraternity House
at Lafayette College
Zeta Psi Fraternity House, Lafayette College 01.JPG
Zeta Psi Fraternity House at Lafayette College. August 2013.
USA Pennsylvania location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location49 S. College Dr., Easton, Pennsylvania
Coordinates 40°41′51″N75°12′28″W / 40.69750°N 75.20778°W / 40.69750; -75.20778
Area9.9 acres (4.0 ha)
Built1909-1910
ArchitectMichler, William Marsh; Baker, James Barnes
Architectural styleLate 19th And 20th Century Revivals
NRHP reference No. 01000506 [1]
Added to NRHPMay 21, 2001

The Zeta Psi Fraternity House at Lafayette College is a historic house located on the campus of Lafayette College in Easton, Northampton County, Pennsylvania. The house was built by the Tau Chapter of the Zeta Psi fraternity between 1909 and 1910 and is a 2+12-story, nine bay wide, rock-faced granite building with a dormered hipped roof. It features a heavy eave cornice, prominent chimney stacks, and projecting facade pavilions. The interior reflects both Colonial Revival and Arts and Crafts influenced in its design and detailing. [2]

Contents

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. [1]

Beginning in September 2014, the house was unoccupied due to the suspension of Tau Chapter by Lafayette College for a period of five years. [3] The Tau Chapter was to become officially recognized by the campus again in the Fall of 2018. [4] The college started using the Zeta Psi Fraternity House as an all-male dormitory in the Fall of 2015, housing first year students. During its use as a dormitory, the college hosted several alumni and student events in the house. [5] As of 2017, the Tau Chapter was expected to begin the process to become officially recognized by the campus again in the Fall of 2018. [6] The Tau Chapter was officially recognized and reinstated by Lafayette College during the 2018 - 2019 academic year. [7] The house is no longer used as a dormitory.

History and architectural features

Built between 1909 and 1910 at Lafayette College in Easton, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, the Zeta Psi Fraternity House is a 2+12-story, nine bay wide, rock-faced granite building with a dormered hipped roof. Its exterior features a heavy eave cornice, prominent chimney stacks, and projecting facade pavilions while its interior reflects both Colonial Revival and Arts and Crafts styles of architecture. [2]

Placement of this structure on the National Register of Historic Places

The NRHP nomination application for the Zeta Psi Fraternity House at Lafayette College was formally reviewed by Pennsylvania's Historic Preservation Board at its March 13, 2001 meeting at 9:45 a.m. at the State Museum in Harrisburg. Also considered for NRHP status at this time were the: Protection of the Flag Monument in Athens, Pennsylvania; Normandy Farm, George K. Heller School and Upper Roxborough Historic District in Montgomery County; Awbury Historic District and Harris/Laird, Schober & Company Building in Philadelphia; Michael Derstine Farmstead in Bucks County; Chester Heights Camp Meeting Historic District in Delaware County; John Nicholas and Elizabeth Moyer House in Berks County; and the William Shelly School and Annex in York County. [8]

It was then officially added to the National Register of Historic Places later in 2001. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<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">Lafayette College</span> Private liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania, United States

Lafayette College is a private liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 1832. The founders voted to name the college after General Lafayette, a hero of the American Revolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zeta Psi</span> American collegiate fraternity

Zeta Psi (ΖΨ) is a collegiate fraternity. It was founded on June 1, 1847, at New York University. The organization now comprises fifty-three active chapters and thirty-four inactive chapters, encompassing roughly fifty thousand members. It is a founding member of the North American Interfraternity Conference.

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

Dartmouth College is host to many Greek organizations, 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">Delta Tau Delta</span> North American collegiate fraternity

Delta Tau Delta (ΔΤΔ) is a United States-based international Greek letter college fraternity. Delta Tau Delta was founded at Bethany College, Bethany, Virginia, in 1858. The fraternity currently has around 130 collegiate chapters and colonies nationwide, with an estimated 10,000 undergraduate members and over 170,000-lifetime members. Delta Tau Delta is informally referred to as "DTD" or "Delt."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Anthony Hall</span> US collegiate co-ed social and literary fraternity

St. Anthony Hall or the Fraternity of Delta Psi is an American fraternity and literary society. Its first chapter was founded at Columbia University on January 17, 1847, the feast day of Saint Anthony the Great. The fraternity is a non–religious, nonsectarian organization. In 1879, William Raimond Baird's American College Fraternities characterized the fraternity as having "the reputation of being the most secret of all the college societies." A modern writer says the fraternity is "a cross between Skull and Bones and a Princeton eating club, with a large heaping of Society and more than a dash of Animal House." Nearly all chapters of St. Anthony Hall are coed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sigma Alpha Iota</span> International music fraternity for women

Sigma Alpha Iota (ΣΑΙ) is a women's music fraternity. Formed to "uphold the highest standards of music" and "to further the development of music in America and throughout the world", it continues to provide musical and educational resources to its members and the general public. Sigma Alpha Iota operates its own national philanthropy, Sigma Alpha Iota Philanthropies, Inc. Sigma Alpha Iota is a member of the National Interfraternity Music Council and the Professional Fraternity Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chi Upsilon Sigma</span> Latina Sorority

Chi Upsilon Sigma (ΧΥΣ) — official name is Corazones Unidos Siempre Chi Upsilon Sigma National Latin Sorority, Inc. — is a Latin-based Greek letter intercollegiate sorority. Chi Upsilon Sigma was founded on April 29, 1980, by seven Latinas at the New Brunswick Campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theta Nu Epsilon</span> Sophomore class society

Theta Nu Epsilon is a sophomore class society. Founded at Wesleyan University in 1870 as a chapter of Skull and Bones, the society accepts members regardless of their fraternity status.

The term Triad is used to designate certain historic groupings of seminal college fraternities in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greek organizations at Washington & Jefferson College</span>

Washington & Jefferson College is host to 8 Greek organizations and a significant percentage of the undergraduate student body is active in Greek life. With 43% of women and 40% of men of the student body participating in "greek life," fraternities and sororities play a significant role in student life at W&J. The Princeton Review named Washington & Jefferson College 12th on their 2010 list of "Major Frat and Sorority Scene" in the United States. As of 2021, the Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life recognized 4 fraternities, Alpha Tau Omega, Beta Theta Pi, Delta Tau Delta, and Phi Kappa Psi, and four sororities, Delta Gamma, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, and Pi Beta Phi. The fraternities are governed by a local Interfraternal Council and the sororities are governed by a local Panhellenic Council, while the Greek Judiciary manages broad policy violations at the chapter-level. All Greek organizations occupy College-owned houses on Chestnut Street on campus. All members of fraternities and sororities must pay the $100 "Greek Membership Fee," a levy designed to fund leadership seminars and other educational events for Greeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chester Heights Camp Meeting Historic District</span> Historic district in Pennsylvania, United States

The Chester Heights Camp Meeting Historic District is a historic Methodist camp meeting and national historic district located in Chester Heights, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The district includes 101 contributing buildings, which were designed in the vernacular camp meeting style of architecture; additional notable examples of the Gothic Revival and Queen Anne styles also are present here. Public buildings include the contributing Tabernacle (1878), Dining Hall (1900), Youth Tabernacle (1909, and dormitory. Most of the contributing buildings are cottages, which were built roughly between 1876 and 1920.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George K. Heller School</span> United States historic place

The George K. Heller School, also known as the Cheltenham Center for the Arts, is a historic school building located in Ashmead Village, Cheltenham Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It was originally built in 1883 to house the first Cheltenham High School, and expanded in 1893 and 1906. Later additions took place between 1963 and 1969, after it was converted to the Cheltenham Center for the Arts. The stone school building ranges from 1 1/2- to 2 1/2-stories and has intersecting gable roofs. The roof is topped by a square cupola. A school was located on this site as early as 1795 and it was considered the oldest public school site in continuous use at the time of its closing in 1953.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upper Roxborough Historic District</span> Historic district in Pennsylvania, United States

Upper Roxborough Historic District is a national historic district located in Philadelphia and Whitemarsh Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It encompasses 108 contributing buildings, 23 contributing sites, and 18 contributing structures in Upper Roxborough. The district includes a number of small scale farm and industrial workers' housing, estate houses, mill-owners' dwellings, and farm buildings. Notable buildings include the Shawmont Railroad Station (1834), Miquon Station designed by Frank Furness (1910), Riverside Paper Mills, Hagy's Mill ruin, St. Mary's Church, and "Fairview" and other buildings on the grounds of the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education. The Roxborough Pumping Station was also part of the district, but it was demolished in 2011 after sitting abandoned for over fifty years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Nicholas and Elizabeth Moyer House</span> Historic house in Pennsylvania, United States

The John Nicholas and Elizabeth Moyer House, also known as Richland, is a historic home located in Jefferson Township in Berks County, Pennsylvania. Built circa 1817, it is a 2+12-story, four-over-four stone dwelling. A stone summer kitchen, which was built between 1818 and 1820, is attached to the rear. Frame additions were added in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campus of Lafayette College</span> College campus in Pennsylvania, U.S.

The Lafayette College campus is a 110-acre suburban area located on College Hill in Easton, Pennsylvania, United States. Lafayette College also owns and maintains a 230-acre athletic complex, the Metzgar Fields Athletic Complex. The school is roughly 70 mi (110 km) west of New York City and 60 mi (97 km) north of Philadelphia.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. 1 2 "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania" (Searchable database). CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System.Note: This includes Dennis N. Bertland (August 2000). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Zeta Psi Fraternity House" (PDF). Retrieved 2011-10-29.
  3. "Zeta Psi banned from campus for five years".
  4. Mitterhoff, Matthew (September 19, 2014). "Zeta Psi banned from campus for five years". The Lafayette. Lafayette College. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  5. Tropp, Gabrielle (April 21, 2017). "From Zete House to 49 South College: 107-year-old building transforms". The Lafayette. Lafayette College. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  6. Doherty, Hannah (September 19, 2017). "Zeta Psi starts process to return to campus". The Lafayette. Lafayette College. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  7. Tropp, Gabrielle (February 9, 2018). "Chi Phi reinstated, Zeta Psi creates first pledge class of 7 members". The Lafayette. Lafayette College. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  8. Zeta Psi Fraternity House, in "Historical and Museum Commission: National Register Nominations to be Considered by the Historic Preservation Board," in Pennsylvania Bulletin, Vol. 31, No. 6, February 10, 2001, p. 893. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, retrieved online October 12, 2019.