Zeta Psi Fraternity House at Lafayette College

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+1⁄2-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]

Zeta Psi Fraternity House at Lafayette College
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Zeta Psi Fraternity House at Lafayette College. August 2013.
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Location	49 S. College Dr., Easton, Pennsylvania
Coordinates	40°41′51″N 75°12′28″W / 40.69750°N 75.20778°W / 40.69750; -75.20778
Area	9.9 acres (4.0 ha)
Built	1909-1910
Architect	Michler, William Marsh; Baker, James Barnes
Architectural style	Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals
NRHP reference No.	01000506^[1]
Added to NRHP	May 21, 2001

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+1⁄2-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]

Gallery

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See also

• North American fraternity and sorority housing

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
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.