Finish Line of Photo Tours: Eastern Cornell Heights

17 08 2008

This is the house of the sorority Pi Beta Phi, which is kinda far out on Triphammer Road. Pi Beta Phi started out as a local chapter called Beta Phi. By 1919, they had become the NY Delta chapter of Pi Beta Phi sorority, and they first met in Risley Hall, which was at the time an all-women’s dormitory. After moving around from Eddy Street and Wait Avenue, they settled at 425 Wyckoff Avenue in 1937. By 1955, they has sold this house to Alpha Chi Sigma, and they built the current house in 1955-56 [1]. At least one sorority has made it easy for me to dig up some historical information about them.

Token sculpture? Perhaps, but I’ll provide a little detail about it anyway. The sculpture is called “Richard Evans, 2nd, III”, and was created by Daniel Ben-Shmuel Barrett. It used to be located next to the art museum as part of an abstract art exhibit, but because they needed the space, it was moved to north campus in 2004 [2]. There are also sculptures next to Appel and near Akwewon.

Hurlburt House, or as it is more commonly known, EcoHouse. The building was originally constructed as a motel/travel lodge in 1953. Shortly afterwards (~1963) it was purchased by Cornell and renamed the Cornell Heights Residential Club. The building was used for graduate housing and for housing for students of an experimental accelerated PhD program [3]. On April 5, 1967, a devastating fire tore through one of the wings of the residence, killing eight students and a live-in faculty member [4]. Firemen said three bodies were found in the entrance lobby, one on the stairs between the first and second floors, one in a first floor room, and four in rooms on the second floor [5]. An investigation afterwards stated that inadequate fire safety (lack of fire escapes and alarms) combined with deadly toxic fumes released by the burning rubber-plastic furniture were the primarily factors in the devastating tragedy. In case you’re wondering, the PhD program was discontinued. As for the building, the wing where the fire took place was torn down, but several residents and visitors claim that the basement of the wing (which still exists) is haunted [6]. Haunted in this case means screaming, an oppressive heat, strange lights and the barking of a dog that dies in the fire. I’m going to stay skeptical on this one, and say it’s probably just some overactive imaginations. I’ve been inside only a couple of times, but I found the accomondations seemed luxurious compared to other dorms, and they were tightly-knit group.

This building is home to the Triphammer Co-Op. Built in 1912, the house originally housed a sorority known as Sigma Kappa. Around 1955, the sorority admitted an African-American woman, which was against their national’s rules and regulations (remember, this was at the beginning of the Civil Rights Era). The national ordered the women to get rid of her or risk being booted out of Sigma Kappa. Well, the Cornell chapter flipped their national the proverbial bird and became a ladies co-op. The co-op went co-ed in the early 1990s, and today houses 19 men and women in eleven singles and four doubles [7].

The co-op’s southern neighbor is the MGLC fraternity Pi Delta Psi (is this the only MGLC organization that maintains an official house right now?). The house itself dates from about 1915, but the house only came into the poession of the fraternity a few years ago, in 2003. Pi Delta Psi is an Asian-interest fraternity [8].

The house of Delta Delta Delta sorority, more commonly known as Tri-Delt. The Alpha Beta chapter here at Cornell began as the woman’s club “Sennightly” in 1895, taking their name from the fact that they held a meeting every seven days (heck, my fraternity barely manages to hold a meeting every two weeks without someone b*tching). The women petitioned a national sorority so they could stay in touch in later years as well as perpetuate their organization. By 1912 (yeah, missed the boat on that one), Tri-Delt national took interest, watched them as they threw a party, liked what they saw, and offered them a seat with their sorority. From 1912-1965, the house was on the 600 block of Thurston, in what is now the Alumni House; afterwards, they moved to this house on Triphammer with its Moorish influence [9]. The moorish house was home to Kappa Alpha Theta prior to their national disaffiliating them in 1965.

Right across the street from Tri-Delt is the sorority Delta Gamma. The sorority was established at Cornell in 1885 [10], but the current house dates from about the 1930s. My personal guess is that they were in the ladies’ dorms for a number of years and then lived in boarding houses until moving to their present location. The chapter was inactive from 1969 to 1975 (the Vietnam War era, when public interest in Greek life and other establishment groups waned significantly)

The house of Kappa Delta sorority. The Cornell Chapter was founded in 1916 by a transfer student who was a KD at her former institution. First based out of Sage and then out of a now-demolished house on Wait Avenue, the sorority purchased the land for their current house in 1923 and built on that property shortly thereafter, expanding several times over the years. [11]

[1]http://pibetaphi-cornell.org/public1.asp

[2]http://ezra.cornell.edu/searched.php Q5 2/7/08

[3]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornell_North_Campus

[4]http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/April07/1967Fire.kr.html

[5]http://www3.gendisasters.com/new-york/6971/ithaca-ny-dormitory-fire-cornell-university-april-1967

[6]http://ezra.cornell.edu/searched.php?search=haunted&question=&answer=&starttimestamp=&endtimestamp=&category_id=&offset=20&view=expanded

Q2 11/12/1992

[7]http://www.triphammercoop.org/place.php

[8]http://www.cornellpdpsi.com/version6/about.php

[9]http://www.rso.cornell.edu/tridelt/

[10]http://www.dos.cornell.edu/dos/greek/chapter_details.cfm?id=3277

[11]http://www.kappadeltaomegachi.org/kap2_about.taf


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North by Northwest of Campus

12 08 2008

The house of the Chi Psi fraternity of Cornell University. Chi Psi has had a colorful if traumatic history in its century-plus long history here at Cornell. The Chapter at Cornell was founded in 1869. While they lived elsewhere, Jennie McGraw, the daughter of John McGraw, who was a wealthy lumber merchant and one of the first trustees of Cornell (for whom McGraw Hall is named) [1], fell in love with the first university librarian, Daniel Willard Fiske. She was old for loving at the time, pushing forty. She was also suffering from terminal tuberculosis. Regardless, she and Willard eloped and engaged in a whirlwind tour of Europe, while an opulent mansion was built on the edge of the gorge. She lived just long enough to see it with her own eyes, passing as they arrived home in 1881 [2]. Willard moved in, but his behavior was considered a little too exuberant for someone whose wife just died. Plus, due to some legal issues with Jennie’s will (which might make for a good entry another day), he and Cornell ended up on really bad terms, and he spent most of the rest of his life in Italy (on the bright side, he somewhat reconciled with Cornell in later years and donated his library upon his death in 1904 [3]).

That story is tangent to Chi Psi. Willard sold the opulent McGraw-Fiske mansion to the fraternity around 1881[4]. It was during the cold night of December 6th 1906 that the second deadliest campus tragedy in Cornell’s history occurred.

Sources tend to indicate it was caused by flammable polish being used on the floors. Others have gone as far to suggest that the house was cursed due to Jenny and Willard’s indiscretions. Regardless, the house caught fire. And in the days before real fire engines, any water to be used on the house (that wasn’t frozen) was a mere trickle. Of the twenty-six fraternity brothers living in the house, four died. When one of the exterior stone walls collapsed, it landed on volunteer firemen from the city of Ithaca, killing three of them. By the end of the night, the house was destroyed, and seven people were dead [5].

Photo Courtesy of "Greetings from Ithaca"

Photo Courtesy of “Greetings from Ithaca”

Through the tragedy, the fraternity persevered. They built the current house the following year (known as “The Lodge”), and have lived there since.

So, I took two photos partially to get a good idea of the shape and ornamentation of the house, but more because a woman in a towel came up from the gorge as I was taking photos…and I didn’t want to give the wrong idea. I ran south after a large guy appeared by her side, and she probably thinks I’m a creeper and pervert. I prefer photos of ornamental busts to women’s busts.

***

The Thurston Court Apartments is a 22-person university-owned apartment building with one and two-bedroom student apartments [6]. Primarily used for grad housing, in recent years the building has been opened up to undergrads as well. The building was built in 1932 (fun fact: the entire building was once painted white, including the ornamentation).

The house of Seal and Serpent fraternity, Cornell’s independent fraternity. The fraternity was founded in 1905, and the current house was built in 1929 in the Tudor Style [7]. In the past several years, the fraternity has suffered from a chronic shortage of interest; rumor mill says they only had three pledges last spring.

Maybe this has something to do with it:

“…Fraternities have a reason to fear such stereotyping. The Seal and Serpent society, a house which was primarily gay in the 1980s but now has just two gay brothers out of 16, has had some difficulty overcoming “the gay” label during rush…”

I s’pose this doesn’t help – I still hear this from a lot of people both in and out of the Greek community  (the quote is from a Nov. 2000 Sun article).  Going through this blog’s search bar history, there are over 200 hits for “gay fraternity”.  I’m willing to bet it’s not with good intention.

 

The house of Alpha Phi sorority. Alpha Phi Cornell was founded in 1889 with assistance from the Alpha Chapter at Syracuse University [8]. Originally based out of Sage College, they lived with Alpha Zeta for a year  and on their own in a couple different houses until they bought their current house from an Alpha Phi alum in 1921. The side wings were added in 1937, and a back wing (not pictured) was added in 1961. The chapter went under a reorganization sometime in the early 1990s due to low membership intake, but I’ve found nothing that indicates it ever closed. Currently, Alpha Phi has one of the highest sorority membership numbers at Cornell.

Hardly 500 feet away is the house of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. I know Kappa has been in the news lately; and it really sucks to be them right now (unless you like embarrassment over attention). The sorority’s Cornell (Psi) chapter was founded in 1883, and moved into the current house in 1921 [9]. The chapter was inactive from 1969 to 1977, a time period well-known for its anti-Greek sentiment.

Louie’s Lunch was founded in around 1918 by Louie Zounakos, who emigrated to NYC from Greece, and later moved up to Ithaca. The original Louie operated the truck up until 1955 [10]. The original truck was replaced in the late 1940s. The truck was then owned by the Machen family until 1997, and is now currently operated by Ron Beck. I do have a preference to one truck over the other, but I won’t say which.

100_3462

Photo courtesy of “Greetings from Ithaca”

The house of Zeta Psi fraternity. The house, built in 1930, was originally that of Theta Xi. Zeta Psi, meanwhile, has the distinction of being the first fraternity founded by Cornell, even if it was decided by a coin flip (see the entry for Chi Phi). The chapter built a luxurious house in 1891 on the corner of Williams Street and Stewart Avenue, but moved out in the 1940s due to low numbers as brothers left to go fight in WWII. The original house burnt down in the late 1940s, and was replaced by a parking lot. In the meanwhile, Zeta Psi lived with Young Israel for a short while before moving into 660 Stewart Avenue in the late 1950s. A donation from a wealthy alumnus allowed them to buy the current house in 1972 [11].

 

[1]http://www.cornell.edu/search/index.cfm?tab=facts&q=&id=497

[2]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennie_McGraw

[3]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Willard_Fiske

[4]http://www.adphicornell.org/adphicor/files/FraternityRow.pdf ***

***Page 10 has a picture of the McGraw estate in its heyday

[5]http://www.chipsi.org/news/6143/Cornell-Fire-Centenary.htm

[6]http://www.campuslife.cornell.edu/campuslife/housing/graduate/thurston-court-apartments.cfm

[7]http://www.sealandserpent.org/house.html#

[8]http://www.dos.cornell.edu/dos/greek/chapter_details.cfm?id=4679

[9]http://www.dos.cornell.edu/dos/greek/chapter_details.cfm?id=3280

[10]http://www.louieslunch.com/history.htm

[11]http://www.psiofzetapsi.org/History.html

[12]https://cornellsun.com/node/1720


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Categories : Cornell, greek history, greek system, photos, residential life

Northwest of Campus

7 08 2008

The house of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. Sigma Alpha Epsilon is one of those fraternities that tends to come to mind when people want to typecast the Greek system at Cornell. It’s large (~80 men), and prestigious, and is the subject of so many dirty rumors (true or not) that it would make Lindsay Lohan blush. The house goes by the formal name “Hillcrest”, and was built in 1915 [1]. An addition was built in the early 1960s (on the left side of the photo). This is the fourth house of SAE and the second “Hillcrest”, the first having burnt down in a spectacular fire around 1911. SAE and Chi Psi have a standing rivalry.

Next door to SAE is Alpha Delta Phi, colloquially known as Alpha Delt. The fraternity was established in 1868, and was among the first to build a chapter house, which was constructed in 1878 [2]. As students moved to different areas of campus, Alpha Delt launched plans to construct a new building in the prairie house style (which you can see on their homepage). This house was built around 1903, but due to electrical malfunctions, burnt down in a spectacular fire in February 1929. A new house, built in the collegiate gothic style (the current house) was built in 1931.

Alpha Delt has always struck me as a more upscale version of SAE. But, they’re not above visual humor; like their parking lot for instance.

I wouldn’t be a good photographer if I didn’t get a photo of their super-sketchy windowless ritual building in front of the house.  Rumor mill says someone received third-degree burns in a ritual gone wrong two years ago at their initiation. Ah, so this is why fraternities like Delta Upsilon and Phi Kappa Tau were founded; to go against the cloak-and-dagger behaviors of other organizations.

***

Although in a tightly packed area of high-profile houses, Phi Gamma Delta, or FIJI as it more commonly known, retains a distinct character. The house, known as “The Oaks”, is fairly nice-looking from the outside, especially since it was built around the 1900s. The original house, a private residence the fraternity bought,  looked like this before the extensive additions and modifications:

Throwing this disclaimer out there, I’m not a huge FIJI fan. The inside kinda scared me. That, and the Halloween party I went to there freshman year where some guy scantily-clad in leather was randomly hitting people in the crowd with a whip as he stood on a table. After the marks I received from that, I haven’t been inside since. Opinions aside, it’s a large house with a large membership.

One last thing…it rained shortly after I had taken the house photo. The mattress in the pickup was still there when I passed by a second time…and it was thoroughly soaked.

***

Mixed into the hodgepodge of frats is Watermargin, a co-op established in 1947 (co-ed since 1961/1968, the latter being the year it was formally approved[3]) by WWII verterans to promote undertanding and diversity in religion and race [94]. The name Watermargin comes from a Chinese Classical literary work, translated by Pearl Buck (All Men Are Brothers), in which fugitives fight the injustice of the Ming Dynasty at the water’s margin. Prior to 1947, the house served as a home for Phi Kappa Psi. The house was built in 1890 in the Colonial Revival style [5]. I’m still trying to determine what the house served as between 1912 and 1947.

Next door and contuinuing up University Avenue is Theta Delta Chi. They are colloquially known as “Thumpty”, or the much-maligned “Theta Drug”, supposedly because of the relative ease of obtaining drugs at the house. The house dates from the 1920s, making it one of the later constructions in the area. The running joke that I’m aware of suggests that its members are stoned all the time. Still, although they are the put of many jokes, they’ve managed to stay continuously active at Cornell since 1870, so they might as well take it in stride.

Sigma Pi is further up University Avenue. The original house on the property was built in 1870, burnt down in 1994, and a new, roughly-similar looking house, was designed by local architect Jagat Sharma and built in 1995 [6]. The fraternity was one of the largest at Cornell, until a nasty incident involving a Thanksgiving dinner gone wrong caused four freshmen to have to get their stomachs pumped[7], and Sig Pi losing recognition from the university (i.e. no pledge class). So, how about that fall rush…?

Going back the other way on University, we have Von Cramm Hall (I’ll hit Chi Psi at a later date). The co-op was founded in 1956 by an endowment from Thomas Gilchrist, in memory of his friend Baron Von Cramm. a Nazi German military officer who died trying to stop the Soviet retreat in 1941[8]. It is also the largest co-op, at 32 members. The house became open to women in the 1970s, and has a very strong leftist bent (Redbud Woods…). The house itself was built in 1955, standing on the property of one of the trio of homes owned by Robert Treman. The house, more of the textbook-style tudor, burned in 1944 [9].

Sigma Nu’s house is tucked way at the end of Willard Way. The house dates from about 1910. The house is one of the more obscure ones to try and locate, but it has fantastic views of the West Hill in the town of Ithaca. Sigma Nu Cornell, founded in 1901, is a fraternity with a strong athletic presence.

Missed it the first time, not the second time. Sigma Phi Epsilon’s house on McGraw Place. The house was built in 1965 [10], replacing their former house at 112 Edgemoor Lane. After Sig Ep was gone in 2004 (google it, rumor mill had a field day with that one), ATO occupied the house, and Delta Chi shared it with them when they were rechaptered in 2006-07.

The Kahin Center is the second of the Treman trio. It was remodeled in 1945 as a lodge and as a communication arts center in 1970 [11]. It also mirrored the first house that burned in 1944.

The last of the trio is 660 Stewart Avenue, built about 1902 as the home of Elizabeth Treman and her husband Mynderse Van Cleef [11b]. The house of Zeta Psi for a few decades ending in 1969, the house is currently a 27-person co-op. Unlike most co-ops, this one does not have a meal plan [12].

This was really cool, since it has polished wood and it provided shelter from a sudden rainstorm. “The Chapel for Prayer and Meditation”. And what a nice little chapel it is. On the outside was the posting for a service to Mahatma Gandhi on 9/11/07. And the other events that have happened on 9/11.

And it had a great view. And this is where I’ll leave off for now.

[1]http://www.sae-cornell.org/public6.asp

[2]http://www.adphicornell.org/public6.asp

[3]http://cornellsun.com/node/21924

[4]http://www.campuslife.cornell.edu/campuslife/housing/undergraduate/watermargin.cfm

[5]http://www.fs.cornell.edu/fs/facinfo/fs_facilInfo.cfm?facil_cd=4758

[6]http://sharma-arch.com/restoration.htm

[7]http://cornellsun.com/node/26714

[8]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Von_Cramm_Coop

[9]http://www.fs.cornell.edu/fs/facinfo/fs_facilInfo.cfm?facil_cd=3121

[10] http://www.rso.cornell.edu/sigep/History.html

[11]http://www.fs.cornell.edu/fs/facinfo/fs_facilInfo.cfm?facil_cd=4736

[11b]http://cornellsun.com/node/24153

[12]http://www.campuslife.cornell.edu/campuslife/housing/undergraduate/660-stewart.cfm


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Far West Campus, Second Photo Tour

4 08 2008

The house of the Cornell Chapter of Delta Upsilon fraternity. The house was built in 1890 in  the Queen Anne Style [1], and burned at least three times over the next thirty years [2]. The fraternity was founded to counter secret societies. Which, considering some members have most certainly been members of the Sphinx Head and the Quill and Dagger, is vaguely ironic.

Cornell’s Telluride House, located on South Avenue. The house was built in 1910 and originally housed electrical engineers working for Lucien L. Nunn, and who also attended Cornell [3]. The Cornell chapter was the first Telluride house. Telluride takes it name from the town of Telluride, Colorado, where Nunn lived most of his adult life [4]. The house’s website describes as an intense academic experience, and that members “enjoy tremendous autonomy”. So, I’m getting the impression of a fraternity, only much more academic and not nearly as social.

Photo Courtesy of "Greetings from Ithaca"

Photo Courtesy of "Greetings from Ithaca"

The house of the Sigma Phi Society. The first house was torn down to make way for the law school. The second and current house was built in 1932 and designed by Frederick L. Ackermann in the English Country House style. Ackermann also designed Psi Upsilon, the neighboring fraternity, and the relation between the two is obvious. If you can’t tell them apart though, you’ve probably had too many drinks at Sigma Phi and it’s time to go home. Detail-wise, the two differ considerably.

 

Although, one can never go wrong with the right ornamentation. I honestly thought that someone was sitting up there when I first glanced at it. No, I wasn’t drunk.

Psi Upsilon’s House was built in the same year. I believe this is also the fraternity that was known for having an indoor squash court, so Psi U. has a bit of a reputation of being wealthy. The chapter has also been booted off campus twice, the latest last month (the other case was in 1979). 

The house of Delta Tau Delta. The house was built in November 1965 [5], but they previously lived in a now-demolished house on Edgemoor Lane (the parking lot next to Theta is the site of their old house). The only reason I knew this house existed freshman year was that one of my roommates had a free magnet from DTD. Yeah, can’t say I care too much for that 60s archi-torture.

The new Noyes Center is about the only thing I like on the newly reconstructed West Campus. Completed in Janurary 2007, the building serves for community functions for West Campus (weight room, convenience store, etc.).

The original student union, a penal-style brutalist structure, was dedicated in 1967 to Jansen Noyes 1910. Before the legal drinking age was raised in 1986, it had a “pub” to serve students.

 (photo courtesy of http://andrew.loewer.name/musings/)

 

 

[1]http://www.fs.cornell.edu/fs/facinfo/fs_facilInfo.cfm?facil_cd=4722

[2]http://ecommons.library.cornell.edu/bitstream/1813/3536/23/021_18.pdf

[3]http://www.tellurideassociation.org/programs/university_students/cornell_branch/cb_general_information.html

[4]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telluride_Association

[5]http://www.fs.cornell.edu/fs/facinfo/fs_facilInfo.cfm?facil_cd=4776


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Far West Campus, the First Photo Tour

31 07 2008

The house of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. As previously covered, the house was this dreadful brutalist monstrosity constructed in 1964 when the fraternity moved from 312 Thurston Avenue [1]. The house was extensively renovated in the second half of the 1990s, gaining a more postmodern appearance that has earned it the nickname “The Gables”. Prior to 312 Thurston (now demolished), Phi Kappa Psi lived in the Watermargin house. It was among the first fraternities chaptered at Cornell, established in 1868.

This house belongs to Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, currently the only sorority on West Campus. The house was built by Sigma Chi in the 19th century, who left it for Greystone Manor in 1923, and Theta Chi fraternity moved in. Bay the 1980s, Theta Chi had moved out of the house for a mansion on Ridgewood Road, and “Theta” moved in. Theta was dispelled from its national in 1965, but returned to campus in 1980 [1], and moved into this house during the 1980s.

Speaking of fraternities founded early in Cornell’s history, Chi Phi and north campus fraternity Zeta Psi were both founded on opening day 10/7/1868. The two flipped a coin to see who would be declared the first fraternity at Cornell. Well, Chi Phi still uses its early start in rush promos, but Zeta Psi is officially the first fraternity (Zeta Psi and Chi Phi have a rivalry to this day). Craigielea, their tudor-esque house, is well over a century old (1890, partiall rebuilt after a 1903 fire), and has continuously been in their posession. The house was designed by W. H. Miller of Uris Libe fame [2].

And this is what’s left of their (pledge?) project, bleachers that they built last April. Shame, really. I wonder if they did it or someone who hates Chi Phi did it.

Delta Kappa Epsilon (DEKE) fraternity house is a Romaneqaue Revival House built in 1893 by W.H. Miller [3]. The house is known as Gray Stone Castle, and sits on the National Register of Historic Places [4]. As amazing as the house is, the chapter hasn’t been doing all too recently; rumor mill says numbers were so low in recent years that actives had two rooms each.

112 Edgemoor Lane, a small campus dorm designed for about 20-25 occupants. As I explained in a previous entry, this house has a lot of significance to me personally. So, the house, built in the Colonial Revival style, was built in 1881. The house was home to Sigma Phi Epsilon up into the 1960s, when Sig Ep moved out and Triangle fraternity moved in. Previously, Triangle called a house at the junction of Campus Road and Stewart Avenue home, but the ca. 1839 farm house was torn down to make room for DTD’s new house [5]. After Triangle was deactivated by its national in 1985, the house was made into part of Cornell’s campus dorms.

Lambda Chi Alpha’s house also sits on Edgemoor Lane. Originally known as ISWZA [5], Lambda Chi was chaptered in 1913, and the house was purchased around 1918 (it was built in 1899). Lambda Chi is known for having a feud with its neighbor Chi Phi. The house also maintains a gazebo on the edge of the gorge, which was built in recent years.

The house of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. The house was occupied by Beta Theta Pi, who occupied the house until they moved in 1906. About a decade later when Pi Kappa Alpha colonized on campus, the chapter moved into this house. My slight personal issue was that they had a steep driveway in the back, and some jackass in a Jetta would try to do 0-60 every time he went down the hill. The whining engine gets quite annoying after a while.

The Jewish Living Center. The house dates from the 1890s[6], with the kosher dining center to its south (not pictured) dating from the late 1980s. The center was known as Young Israel until the late 1990s. Judging from their website, the independent organization has had a contentious past with its relations to the University. The old fraternity house for Seal & Serpent (pre-1926) used to be next door, but it was demolished to make room for their parking lot.

[1]http://www.dos.cornell.edu/dos/greek/chapter_details.cfm?id=3278

[2]http://www.fs.cornell.edu/fs/facinfo/fs_facilInfo.cfm?facil_cd=4716

[3]http://www.fs.cornell.edu/fs/facinfo/fs_facilInfo.cfm?facil_cd=4719

[4]http://www.dke-cornell.org/public1.asp

[5]http://cdsun.library.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/cornell?a=d&d=CDS19650427.2.101.1#

[6]http://www.iswza.org/heritage

[7]http://www.cornellcjl.com/about/history.aspx


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Yet Another North Campus Photo Tour

27 07 2008

The house of Zeta Beta Tau. This fraternity wins my commendation for having the most difficult house to find.   Like seriously, it’s tucked away at the end of Edgecliff Road, which is hard enough to find at the end of Thurston near the Stewart Ave. bridge. The letters Z.B.T. hail from a ritual phrase of the fraternity (that was publicly revealed  on its one-hundreth anniversary): “Zion Bemishpat Tipadeh” [1], which translates means “Zion shall be redeemed with justice”. In case it hasn’t clicked in yet, the house was founded as a Jewish fraternity, and still has a strong Jewish presence in its membership. The house itself dates from the 1900s. (fun fact: ZBT absorbed four other fraternities over time: Phi Alpha, Kappa Nu, Phi Epsilon Pi, and Phi Sigma Delta. At some point (prior to 1959), all had houses at Cornell. Phi Alpha’s old house is now a rental house next door to my apartment).

Carl Sagan’s House, prior to his death in 1996. The property sits at 900 Stewart Avenue- the first photo is the entrance area from the street, and the second is from the other side of the gorge. Originally, one of Cornell’s two major secret societies, Sphinx Head, built a windowless meeting chamber on the site in 1926 [2]. Well, upkeep proved to be a hassle by the 1960s, so they sold it to their neighbor Professor Robert Wilson in 1969, who in turn sold the tomb to Professor Steven Mensch in 1979. Mensch built a house on the site in the style of the tomb, which he sold to Carl Sagan. Currently, the house is considered to be the property of the Sagan estate and its heirs.

The house of Sigma Chi Delta, a local co-ed fraternity founded in 1981 [3]. It has no letters on the outside, so this is how I confirmed it as their house:

Yes, the composite is purposely blurred so I don’t receive nasty e-mails. I’m sure I’ll be in enough heat for taking photos through their street-facing windows.

The two 7-unit houses that represent the retirement facility “Bridges at Cornell Heights” [4]. My jaw drops when I look at how lovely these houses are. I believe they were renovated in the late 1990s. In case anyone’s wondering, the price is about $7500/month. That’s actually more than I make in a year…

Similar in concept to Zeta Beta Tau is Alpha Epsilon Phi, a sorority with a strong Jewish background. The Cornell chapter was established in 1920. It amazes me how little information I can find about the chapter itself, apart from token facts like house color and flower. I’m not looking for that, I’m looking for the history. It is perfectly possible that the house, which dates from the 1900s, has always been their house. Looking through a copy of 1943 Cornellian suggests they have been in the house at least 65 years, so there’s some support to the idea. If an AEPhi could confirm that, it would be appreciated.

Formerly the house of merged fraternity Phi Sigma Epsilon, today this is the house of the sorority Alpha Chi Omega. This is not to be confused with Chi Omega, which closed in 2003 and once lived at 10 Sisson Place. Alpha Chi Omega reestablished itself at Cornell in 1984 (Chi Omega did the same thing in 1987, but it appeared only one has managed to survive up to today). In 1985, another sorority, Alpha Gamma Delta, tried to establish itself, but closed after 1990. They also lived at 722 University Avenue (what is that, the token Greek house?) [5]

The Africana Library. built in 2005. The original library was part of the Africana Center that was burned in 1970 (in response, enraged students stormed the new Cornell Store, ransacking and heavily damaging the facility. They burned many of the stolen items in a large bonfire a week later). The center (in the background, you can make it out on the left) was then relocated to 310 Triphammer Road, just off North Campus. The building was dedicated to John Henrik Clarke in 1985, the same year that the Africana Libe became a part of the university library system. The building was previously renovated in 1990 [6].

[1]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeta_Beta_Tau

[2]http://ezra.cornell.edu/posting.php?timestamp=1207807200

[3]http://www.sigmachidelta.org/Site/Home.html

[4]http://www.bridgescornellheights.com/

[5]http://alphagamhouses.blogspot.com/2007/10/cornell-university.html

[6]http://www.library.cornell.edu/africana/about/history.html


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Historical Rush Booklet, Part 3 of 3

21 07 2008

Kappa Alpha in 1970. At the time of this book’s publication, they were located at 14 South Avenue, which was designed by Vincent Cerasi and built in 1957 [1]. After they left in 1990, Alpha Omicron Pi sorority moved into the facility in 1991 and lived there for 15 years before moving to North Campus. Presently, the building is operated as a small dormitory by the university.

These are photos I have taken of the house. I took both photos to give an idea of the massing on the site. The building was designed to emulate the architectural style of a Swiss chalet.

~~~

A photo of Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity house in 1970. Yes, some truly god-awful structures were designed in the 1960s (1964, in this case [2]). Thankfully, the house was renovated substantially in the past several years.

I dare say that looks a bit better. They affectionately call the building “The Gables”.

~~~

The house of Phi Kappa Sigma in 1970, which they called “Greentrees”. This has to do with the house sitting on seven heavily forested acres (a nifty youtube video by a former Skull is where I draw that from [3]). The house also apparently had a pool. Today, the house is the property of Pi Kappa Phi, who purchased the 12,000 sq. ft property for $300,000 in 1991 (apparently though, renovations set them back another half million dollars [4]).

~~~

The house of Theta Chi Fraternity in 1970. The chapter had been here since 1924 [5]. Sometime afterward (between 1972 and 1993, from what I can find), they moved to their Ridgewood Road location. Kappa Alpha Theta moved into this house sometime after 1980 when they came back to campus. (My personal guess is 1980, but I was the idiot who thought he could just pull out a Cornellian and double-check at Olin Libe this evening. Ironically, Olin doesn’t have them right now).

EDIT: Apparently, I was also dumb enough to think I would find it through the Cornellian. Theta Chi never had a picture taken for the 1970s or early 80s, and Theta’s are all interior photos. It looks like a trip to Kroch’s Rare Manuscripts might be in order. If they weren’t open the same hours I worked…

~~~

Triangle Fraternity was developed under an interesting premise. The fraternity was open to architects, “scientists”, and engineers. For example, an atmospheric science major could join, but a hotelie could not. Nor could biology students, for that matter. I’m sure it made for interesting arrangements in deciding if certain individuals were eligible. Regardless of the complexities of their membership, the fraternity resided at 112 Edgemoor until they folded in 1985 under order of their National, because their numbers were so low at Cornell (we’re talking single digits here). Today, 112 Edgemoor is a 21-person dorm owned by the university (and I spent a lot of time there; the ‘wife’ lived on the third floor, and I was in her room more than my own sophomore year. It helped that five people in my major called Edgemoor home during their sophomore year.

~~~

Lastly is Zeta Psi.  Zeta Psi was in the process of moving from 660 Stewart to Theta Xi’s old house in 71-72, so this was published just before the move [6].

Here is the same house today. It is currently used as co-op.

[1] http://www.fs.cornell.edu/fs/facinfo/fs_facilInfo.cfm?facil_cd=4724

[2]http://www.phikappapsi-cornell.org/public2.asp

[3]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpC6vx7LTI4

[4]http://www.cornellpikapp.com/history.php

[5]http://www.thetachi.org/REPOSITORY/UNMANAGED_CONTENT/History/pdf/p147-p149%20Lambda_Cornell.pdf

[6]http://www.psiofzetapsi.org/History.html


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Historical Fraternity Rush Booklet (Part 1 of 3)

15 07 2008

So, as a special treat, I managed to get a hold of the 1970-1971 fraternity rush booklet. I figured it would be interesting to see some of the changes between the present Greek system and the system nearly forty years ago. I’m dividing it up into portion because there are some features I want to cover before I show them from a historical perspectives (i.e. certain photos have to be taken before I post the old photos). Sorry for the glare on the pages!

So, without further ado…

This was the list of fraternities on Cornell campus at the time of publication. There are 48 total, and the MGLC didn’t exist at this time either. This was published after Theta Xi announced it would close in 1971, but before Beta Sigma Rho and Pi Lambda Phi joined together in 1972-73. Kappa Alpha closed in 1990 (see the other entry concerning its recolonizing), and Triangle’s national council suspended Cornell chapter in 1985, never to return [1]. Phi Kappa Sigma closed in 1991, Theta Chi left in 1999, although they attempted to recolonize in 2003 [2] (my guess is that it didn’t work out), and Phi Sigma Epsilon merged with Phi Sigma Kappa in 1985 [3]. I’ve already gone over Alpha Chi Rho in a previous entry, so I think that covers the losses.

The Alpha Chi Rho entry for fall 1970. Please note that clicking the image enlarges it. It mentions how they’re experimenting with going without a house. I’d like to remind folks here that Alpha Chi Rho would close within a few years of this publication.

The old Alpha Zeta house. This was also back when the fraternity was still men only (It went co-ed in 1981).

The Beta Sigma Rho house in 1970. This was the side of the apartments that I didn’t take with my camera; I’m pretty sure that staircase is no longer there and its heavily wooded, which made that angle difficult to take pictures from.

That worn down house, 722 University Avenue? In 1970, it was Pi Kappa Phi’s House (like I mentioned previously, Alpha Chi Rho was next door at 736 for a time, and we can see they had no house at this point in time).

This is the house next door, 736 University Avenue. It was built in the 1920s.

 

 

[1]http://www.triangle.org/about/history/chronology/

[2] http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-71478145.html

[3]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phi_Sigma_Epsilon


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When History Repeats Itself (Somewhat)

13 07 2008

So, I was glancing through the Cornell Sun website, and came across this article:

http://cornellsun.com/section/news/content/2008/07/06/alumni-board-deactivates-current-members-psi-upsilon-fraternity

July 6, 2008 – 10:37pm
By Sam Cross

In an attempt to protect the prosperity of the fraternity and the safety of its members, the alumni board of Psi Upsilon decided to shut down the fraternity until the board deems it fit. Though the members of the campus fraternity have been deactivated, the chapter maintains its official recognition in the eyes of the University.

“While Cornell University still recognizes Psi Upsilon as an active fraternity on campus, the alumni have de-activated all of its members,” said Travis Apgar, associate dean of students for fraternity and sorority affairs, in light of the recent events.

Mike Bergelson ’95, alumni president of the chapter, explained the alumni’s decision to temporarily suspend the fraternity.

“The principles of the fraternity are to foster intellectual and social environment,” Bergelson said. “While we don’t want to be too prescriptive, the alumni saw that a far too great emphasis was being placed on the social aspects and not the fraternity values of brotherhood, responsibility and democracy.”

Brothers of the fraternity did not respond to The Sun’s inquiries.

Bergelson said he did not see the decisive move as a surprise and said the alumni have been trying to resolve problems with its current members for over a year.

“Last year at our annual meeting, the alumni told the current brothers that the house had some problems,” Bergelson said. “The physical house was not being properly kept, many brothers were not involved, along with other things. We spent a lot of time with the undergraduates to help them keep the fraternity in good order. Toward the end of the year, the leadership of the fraternity came to us and it was clear that a significant change could not be established in the current environment.”

Bergelson recalled an alumni meeting two weeks ago, during which the group discussed the chapter’s members and their leadership abilities. According to Bergelson, the group decided they would begin by rebuilding the chapter around a few key members.

“The alumni saw the fraternity not moving in the right direction and had to do something to resolve the situation,” Bergleson said. “It could eventually have put brothers in harm’s way. Psi Upsilon can still be fun and social but the brothers must do it in a safe way.”

The alumni did see the fraternity heading down a slippery slope. Bergleson emphasized that this was a “pre-emptive or pro-active” decision and the undergraduates had not committed a terrible transgression. Instead, the alumni saw the potential for trouble and sought to eliminate this possibility before anything occurred.

The fraternity’s alumni saw that the process of instilling brotherhood in its members had to be fundamentally changed to ensure that Psi Upsilon was a safe environment.

“We want guys to bond but we could meet our objectives in a better way,” Bergelson explained. “Brothers can participate in other activities like wilderness trips or community service to bond … Some of the rituals of the fraternity need to evolve.”

The University, which is not playing a prominent role in the matter, supported the alumni in their decision, asserting that the alumni’s chief concern was the well being of their undergraduate members.

“Psi Upsilon has had some judicial problem in the past few years,” Apgar said. “The University is in a role of support and advocacy for the alumni’s decision.”

When looking towards the future of the fraternity, Bergelson explained that the alumni are planning on carrying out the fraternity’s reorganization.

“Through individual interviews with each brother, we will determine brothers who should be activated again and others who should not,” Bergelson said. “Many of the brothers, even those creating problems initially, have stepped forward jumped on board with the alumni’s goals of rebuilding. Others, however, who still counter the alumni’s philosophy, will have to remain de-activated.”

Since the fraternity has not been kicked off campus by the University, the fraternity could be up and running by the start of this year. The decision of when to resurrect the chapter, however, remains at the discretion of the alumni.

“The rebuilding process could take us the summer and Psi Upsilon could be an active fraternity by the beginning of the school year,” Bergelson said. “It could be ready by the first semester, the second semester, or maybe in a year. What is more important is that the fraternity is heading in the right direction, upholding the rules of the state and the University as well as the ideals of fraternity men.”

***

But, this is not the first time in recent history that the fraternity Psi Upsilon has been in trouble. Here’s a Dear Uncle Ezra letter from October 11, 1988 (okay, maybe not so recent history- that was the month I was born).

http://ezra.cornell.edu/posting.php?timestamp=592545600

DEAR EZRA,
WHY WAS THE FRATERNITY PSI UPSILON THROWN OFF CAMPUS ABOUT SEVEN YEARS AGO?

                                                    SIGNED, CURIOUS

Dear Curious,
According to Randy Stevens, Coordinator of Greek Life, Psi Upsilon was not actually thrown off campus by the University, but rather the Psi Upsilon National Organization removed their charter.  Psi Upsilon had various problems which led to this.  Their membership was dwindling, they were very destructive to their house (which the University owns), they had problems with alcohol abuse, and miscellaneous other “behavior problems”.  But, as you may know, Psi Upsilon is now back on campus.  After about 4 years they petitioned for their charter, and, according to Randy, have been doing very well since that time. It’s nice to know people can learn and recover from mistakes.

***

http://cdsun-test.library.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/newscornell?a=d&d=CDS19810210.2.1.3&e=——–20–1—–all

Indeed, as the Sun Archives state, Psi Upsilon was removed in June 1979 for two years due to a number of infractions. The house, which was primarily football players at the time, was removed for “noisiness, general rowdiness, and a deteiorated financial status”.

The primary difference between the two cases is that one was initiated by the national organization, and the other by the local chapter’s alumni. But compare these quotes:

The principles of the fraternity are to foster intellectual and social environment,” Bergelson said. “While we don’t want to be too prescriptive, the alumni saw that a far too great emphasis was being placed on the social aspects and not the fraternity values of brotherhood, responsibility and democracy.”  The physical house was not being properly kept…

“Psi Upsilon has had some judicial problem in the past few years,” Apgar said. “The University is in a role of support and advocacy for the alumni’s decision.” (2008 article)

Their membership was dwindling, they were very destructive to their house (which the University owns), they had problems with alcohol abuse, and miscellaneous other “behavior problems ( 1988 DUE)

 

This is why you know your history. So you don’t make the same mistake and let history repeat itself.

 

P.S. So, I know one of the IFC Exec Board members is a Psi Upsilon brother. How does this affect his status with the board? Anyone have an answer to that?

http://ifc.cornell.edu/eboard.htm

VP for Judicial:
Matthew Dubbioso ’09 ___@cornell.edu Psi Upsilon


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Cayuga Heights Photo Tour, 7/12

12 07 2008

The house of the fraternity Tau Kappa Epsilon. The house has been occupied by the fraternity  since 1927. TKE was originally Kappa Psi, which became the Sigma Chapter of TKE in 1923. During this same time period, the local fraternity Scorpion was founded. The first TKE disbanded due to the hard times caused by the Great Depression, but Scorpion became the new affiliate of TKE (hence Scorpion chapter, which in my opinion is a really cool chapter name) in 1940. The fraternity Sigma Phi Sigma also merged with TKE in 1941 [1].

Farther up Highland we have the fraternity Tau Epsilon Phi. Um, their house could look better. I felt a little bad taking a photo of it and knowing I’d be putting it up, because it really was in shabby condition. The house was actually once the wing of the old house; they leased the property in 1949, and the wind was built in 1961. However, a fire “of unknown origin” destroyed the original house, so a new house was built connected to the relatively new wing in the mid 1960s. The building was last renovated in 1977 [2].

Speaking of which, this is the Kappa Delta Rho fraternity house. The house was built as an experiment by the architecture school in 1909 to teast the viability for poured cement for all the outside walls. KDR first occupied this property in 1952, and the new wing (the part on the left) was added in 1964 [3]. At least KDR is raising funds to repair the roof, it looks like it might need it.

So this was a treat to find. Today, this is the Westbourne Apartments building. Back in the day, it used to belong to a fraternity called Beta Sigma Rho. Beta Sigma Rho, or Beta Samach as it was originally called, was founded in 1910 by four Cornell students who were excluded from the current system because of their Jewish religion. By 1950, there were thirteen chapters. However, all good things come ot an end. Beta Sigma Rho’s Alpha Chapter, suffering from dwindling interest, merged with Pi Lamda Phi in 1972. The Pi Lams moved in to Beta’s house, and the organization adopted the name Pi Lambda Phi. The original Pi Lambda Phi house was closed (today, it’s the undergraduate admissions office). Then the Beta’s house was closed in 1978, and that ended their run at Cornell. One chapter survives; the Beta chapter at Penn state felt it would be better to go independent in 1975, so they did. Today, they have survived there as Beta Sigma Beta fraternity [4].

The house of Alpha Gamma Rho (AGR) fraternity. Originally known as Caduceus chapter,  (now Zeta- for those of you wondering, a caduceus is the double helix with the snakes [5]), Alpha Gamma Rho has occupied this property since 1916, with the current house being constructed in 1961 [6]. Alpha Gamma Rho is the other agricultural fraternity (AGR = agriculture…like we couldn’t figure that out.)

 

[1]http://www.scorpiontke.org/content/section/6/30/

[2]http://www.dos.cornell.edu/dos/greek/chapter_details.cfm?id=3271

[3]http://www.dos.cornell.edu/dos/greek/chapter_details.cfm?id=3251

[4]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta_Sigma_Beta

[5]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caduceus

[6]http://www.dos.cornell.edu/dos/greek/chapter_details.cfm?id=4669


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