National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 7
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Phi Delta Theta, College St., 1923.
The two story, hipped roof, rectangular building that houses the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity is set on a level lot on the south side of College Street close to the University Green. The massing and style of the Colonial Revival fraternity blend with the Colonial Revival college structures in the neighborhood. Constructed by the fraternity from 1920-1923, the building is clad entirely in white Vermont marble veneer set in a random block pattern separated by joints of varying width. The roof is covered with green Vermont slate. The foundation, parts of which can be seen at the rear entrance basement stairs, is random ashlar sandstone. A slightly projecting three bay wide pavilion, which includes tall windows on the main level, medium sized windows on the second level and a gable top, dominates the front façade. A wide frieze extends from the side walls a short way onto the pavilion. All windows except the three tall ones in the pavilion have narrow random horizontal marble blocks as lintels.
The recessed front entry to the left (east) of the pavilion and the 12' window to the right (west) are each emphasized by two monumental square posts and are set in duplicate doorframes. At the entry a recently installed standard size new front door made of natural maple set in natural maple paneling has taken the place of the original 12' door. Filling in the space over the door is a transom set in painted wood that is the only remnant of a previous alteration. Surrounding the original door space are two wood pilasters with the original wood cornice, wood pediment, a segmented marble arch and a tablet inscribed with the date 1848 is set in concrete between the arch and the eaves. The 12/12 double hung 12' window of the right side remains the same except that its tablet reads 1879. Two arched concrete niches, one to the left of the entry and one to the right of the window accent the front walls.
In the front façade pavilion there are three tall, tripartite, painted aluminum, double glazed windows on the main level. Each has a Greek key motif inscribed in the lintel while a belt course above and below these windows marks the lines between floor. The left and right bays of the second floor are the same, sliding multi-pane replacement windows, while the one in the center is an original casement. In the gable peak are dentils around the roof edge and a recessed oval window with tracery and two louvered half shutters at the narrow ends of the oval.
To the right the west façade has two12/12 double hung 12' sash windows that over look a semicircular concrete terrace. Three small narrow clerestory windows covered by grillwork are up under the eaves.
The rear façade (south) fenestration, eight bays wide, has a slight central pavilion projection containing the rear door and three windows. All the windows at the rear first level are all divided in five horizontal panes. The second floor windows are medium size and are also divided horizontally. There are two small windows at the third level.
The east façade, to the left of the front, has one main level niche that has a small single sash multi-paned fixed window inserted in its center. The three small clerestory windows under the eaves echo those on the west façade.
The roof has a concrete chimney in each of the three sections of the building. There are two skylights in the front slope of each of the two sides of the roof, two in the rear of the east side slope and one on the west side slope.
Among the changes that have occurred over the years are the replacement of the 12' entry door, the replacement of five of the six front pavilion windows, and the removal of most of the shutters. A few storm windows have been added and one rear window is blocked in to hold the vent for the kitchen stove.
The Phi Delta Theta Incorporated Alumni of Vermont, Alpha Chapter bought the building and lot at 439 College St. from Leverett and Florence Englesby for the Chapter in 1903. Circa 1922 architect William MacLeish Dunbar, (Cornell, 1921) designed the new house as a fraternity and the house that had occupied the site since the early 1800âs was torn down. Mr. Dunbar described the building using photographs in an article for Architectural Forum magazine in May of 1928. Phi Delta Theta alumnus, UVM graduate, and prominent businessman Roy Patrick (President of Rock of Ages Granite Corporation and on the board of directors of many national businesses), led the finance committee that oversaw the construction during the years 1920-1923. The plan was to use Vermont materials as much as possible, so marble from the Proctor, Vermont quarries clad the walls, green Vermont slate covered the roof, and Vermont birch wood is on the floor. The dates set in concrete over the doors refer to the founding of the fraternity: 1848 is the founding of the national organization and 1878 is the year of the founding of the Vermont chapter.
The interior first floor has a dramatic circular
entry with stairs curving up to the second floor that contains the sleeping
and study rooms of the young men who live there. The main level high ceilinged
living spaces were designed to be elegant and gracious and include a chimneypiece
imported from London. However, over the years, and particularly in the
1980âs careless students and lack of maintenance did much damage to the
building. The fraternity, at this point has made the decision to be substance-free
(no alcohol and no drugs) and is working on plans to restore and repair
the building to its original condition.