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The History of
Phi Delta Theta

 

New York Alpha
 

The Birth of New York Alpha

The New York Alpha chapter of Phi Delta Theta was founded on February 29, 1872, shortly after the opening of Cornell University. One of the oldest chapters at Cornell, the New York Alpha chapter of Phi Delta Theta spearheaded the fraternity’s advance into the Northeast of the country and to this day is one of the most senior chapters of Phi Delta Theta. 

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Edgemoor

After a brief hiatus, the New York Alpha chapter reopened in 1887. During this period, the chapter was based out of 125 Edgemoor Ln – a house which now belongs to the Cornell chapter of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. Throughout these early decades, the chapter thrived as brothers shared in the growing prosperity and burgeoning reputation of the University.


In 1922, the New York Alpha chapter left Edgemoor for a newly-built mansion at 2 Ridgewood Rd, which the chapter still calls home. 

The Ship

In 1922, the New York Alpha chapter moved into 2 Ridgewood Rd, a house which brothers fondly refer to as “The Ship”. The structure was built by a Cornell-educated architect who, himself a Phi, decided to build for his fraternity a mansion which he had designed as a student. The result was a large white compound, modeled after a naval ship and which incorporated large wooden beams originally meant for use in the construction of seafaring vessels.

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A Deep Dive into The Ship

The New York Alpha chapter house features many noteworthy features and amenities which set it apart from other fraternity properties both on campus, and across the nation.

 

Amongst them are the Great Hall – the common room which forms the centerpiece of the house and which has been recorded as the largest common space of any fraternity house in the Northeast. 

 

Anecdotally, the house also has within it many Prohibition era features, including a secret room connected to what is now the gym area – apparently the former home of a speakeasy.

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Below is a video tour of The Ship. (New video coming soon)

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© 2023 by Phi Delta Theta NYA

Website designed by Alex Dempsey '24

2 Ridgewood Rd Ithaca, NY 14850

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