The Zeta Psi Fraternity House at Lafayette College is a historic house located on the campus of Lafayette College in Easton,

Northampton County, Pennsylvania Northampton County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 312,951. Its county seat is Easton. The county was formed in 1752 from parts of Bucks County. Its namesake was Northamptonshire, En ...

. The house was built by the Tau Chapter of the

Zeta Psi Zeta Psi () is a collegiate fraternity. It was founded in 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, and is a f ...

fraternity between 1909 and 1910 and is a -story, nine bay wide, rock-faced granite building with a

dormer A dormer is a roofed structure, often containing a window, that projects vertically beyond the plane of a pitched roof. A dormer window (also called ''dormer'') is a form of roof window. Dormers are commonly used to increase the usable space ...

ed hipped roof. It features a heavy eave cornice, prominent chimney stacks, and projecting facade pavilions. The interior reflects both

Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the archi ...

and

Arts and Crafts A handicraft, sometimes more precisely expressed as artisanal handicraft or handmade, is any of a wide variety of types of work where useful and decorative objects are made completely by one’s hand or by using only simple, non-automated re ...

influenced in its design and detailing. ''Note:'' This includes It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2001. Beginning in September 2014, the house was unoccupied due to the suspension of Tau Chapter by Lafayette College for a period of five years. The Tau Chapter was to become officially recognized by the campus again in the Fall of 2018. 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. 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. The Tau Chapter was officially recognized and reinstated by Lafayette College during the 2018 - 2019 academic year. 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 -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. ''Note:'' This includes

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 The Protection of the Flag Monument (also known as the "Defense of the Flag Monument") is a historic war memorial located in Academy Park at 715 South Main Street in Athens, Bradford County, Pennsylvania. Designed in the Classical Revival style by ...

in Athens, Pennsylvania; Normandy Farm, George K. Heller School and

Upper Roxborough Historic District 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 structure ...

in Montgomery County;

Awbury Historic District The Awbury Historic District is a historic area in the Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, East Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It encompasses the former summer homes and farms of the extended Cope family, who moved to ...

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 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 -story, four-over-four stone dwelling. A stone summer kitchen, which w ...

in Berks County; and the

William Shelly School and Annex The William Shelly School and Annex, also known as the Eberton School, is a historic school building and annex located in West York, York County, Pennsylvania. Built circa 1897, the Shelly Annex was initially designed as a one-room school, but was ...

in York County.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. It was then officially added to the

later in 2001.

Gallery

File:Zeta Psi Fraternity House, Lafayette College 02.JPG File:Zeta Psi Fraternity House, Lafayette College 03.JPG File:Zeta Psi Fraternity House, Lafayette College 04.JPG

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Colonial Revival architecture in Pennsylvania Houses completed in 1910 Houses in Northampton County, Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Northampton County, Pennsylvania Fraternity and sorority houses