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Deke House, the 
In 1910, the fraternity hired the architectural firm of Gibb and Waltz of Ithaca, New York to design a new addition on the east side of the house. In response to objection of the professor occupying 9 South Avenue, Cornell required that the new east wall of the house not have any windows "except such as may be stationary and glazed with cathedral or prism glass or otherwise so that the interior may be invisible from the outside".Executive Committee Minutes, Proceedings of the Board of Trustees, 18 January 1910, p. 67. This wing brought the house to its present form.
In the 1990s, the south half of the property was converted into a university parking lot. In 1991, the building was added to the national register, and in 2003 the City of Ithaca designated it a Landmark.
Delta Kappa Epsilon History Collection (Cornell University Library)Delta Chi Chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon Website2020 Historic Preservation Award by Historic Ithaca
{{National Register of Historic Places in New York Cornell University buildings William Henry Miller buildings Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Houses in Tompkins County, New York University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Houses completed in 1893 Romanesque Revival architecture in New York (state) Delta Kappa Epsilon houses National Register of Historic Places in Tompkins County, New York
Delta Kappa Epsilon
Delta Kappa Epsilon (), commonly known as ''DKE'' or ''Deke'', is one of the oldest Fraternities and sororities, fraternities in the United States, with fifty-six active chapters and five active Colony (fraternity or sorority), colonies across No ...
or "Deke" House on the campus of Cornell University
Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...
, was built in 1893 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1991. It was designed by William Henry Miller to serve as a fraternity house. Two trees which Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...
planted in front of the house are on the National Register of Historic Trees. ''See also:''
It is located at 13 South Avenue in Ithaca, New York
Ithaca () is a city in and the county seat of Tompkins County, New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes region of New York (state), New York, Ithaca is the largest community in the Ithaca metrop ...
.
The original 1893 building was designed to house only 16 students. Three sides of the exterior were clad with marble from the St. Lawrence Marble Company of Gouverneur, New York
Gouverneur ( ) is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in St. Lawrence County, New York, St. Lawrence County, New York (state), New York, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 6,551. Th ...
. at 17. It was built on land leased to the fraternity by Cornell University
Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...
. Except for World War II, it was occupied continuously by the fraternity from September 1894 through May 2014. During World War II, it was occupied by Navy personnel being trained at Cornell. From September 2014, through May 2018, it housed single, male graduate and professional students. In August 2018, the fraternity returned.
In 1900, Miller was retained to design an addition to the original 12 x 15 foot dining room. He enclosed the loggia on the west side of the building to add 500 square feet.
In 1910, the fraternity hired the architectural firm of Gibb and Waltz of Ithaca, New York to design a new addition on the east side of the house. In response to objection of the professor occupying 9 South Avenue, Cornell required that the new east wall of the house not have any windows "except such as may be stationary and glazed with cathedral or prism glass or otherwise so that the interior may be invisible from the outside".Executive Committee Minutes, Proceedings of the Board of Trustees, 18 January 1910, p. 67. This wing brought the house to its present form.
In the 1990s, the south half of the property was converted into a university parking lot. In 1991, the building was added to the national register, and in 2003 the City of Ithaca designated it a Landmark.
See also
*North American fraternity and sorority housing
North American fraternity and sorority housing refers largely to the houses or housing areas in which fraternity and sorority members live and work together. In addition to serving as housing, fraternity and sorority housing may also serve to ...
References
External links
*Delta Kappa Epsilon History Collection (Cornell University Library)
{{National Register of Historic Places in New York Cornell University buildings William Henry Miller buildings Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Houses in Tompkins County, New York University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Houses completed in 1893 Romanesque Revival architecture in New York (state) Delta Kappa Epsilon houses National Register of Historic Places in Tompkins County, New York