The Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity House, also known as the ATO House, is a Colonial Revival building in Reno, Nevada that was built in 1929. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity House | |
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| Location | 205 University Terrace, Reno, Nevada |
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| Coordinates | 39°32′08″N 119°49′10″W / 39.53556°N 119.81944°W |
| Area | 0.5 acres (0.20 ha) |
| Built | 1929 |
| Built by | Ferris, Lehman "Monk" |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 03001508[1] |
| Added to NRHP | January 28, 2004 |
History edit
Alpha Tau Omega (ATO) predecessor organization at the University of Nevada, Reno was the local fraternity, Phi Delta Tau, founded in 1912.[2] It was the third fraternity at the university.[3] Phi Delta Tau became the Delta Iota chapter of Alpha Tau Omega in 1921.[2] In 1921, the chapter formed the Delta Iota Building Association which purchased a house at 745 University Avenue.[2][3] In 1928, the Delta Iota chapter had 45 active members and had outgrown its two-story house which could only house twenty members.[3]
The fraternity built its chapter house in 1929.[2] It funded the project in part by selling $10,000 in bonds, at $50 each.[3] It also had equity in its existing chapter house and owned three lots in Reno, collectively totaling $20,000 in value.[3] The three lots were previously purchased for a new house but were sold when five lots were found at a better location for $2,750.[3]
The cornerstone of the house was laid in a ceremony on April 30, 1929.[3] The Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity House is at 205 University Terrace, on a hill overlooking University Terrace Avenue in Reno's West University neighborhood, amongst other fraternities and sororities.[2] It was the first fraternity-built house at the University of Nevada, Reno.[3] Its construction and furnishings cost $32,000 ($567,814 in 2022 money).[2] Constructionw as finished by June 1929; the house was dedicated in memory of Erskine Mayo Ross, an Alpha Tau Omega founder.[3]
During World War II, the chapter house was used as a residence and dining hall for female students.[3] In 1984, the chapter house was temporarily closed by the city fire marshall for fire hazards.[2][3] The chapter's alumni raised more than $50,000 to renovate the house which was reoccupied in the fall of 1988.[3]
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 28, 2004.[1]
Architecture edit
The ATO Delta Iota chapter house was designed by Reno architect Lehman "Monk" Ferris.[1][2] Ferris was a member of Phi Delta Tau, the predecessor of the Delta Iota chapter.[2] He also served as the supervising architect for the construction project.[3]
The house consists of three stories and a basement.[3] It is constructed of red brick and was placed on what was originally five lots.[2][3] Its NRHP nomination describes it as an "outstanding" example of Colonial Revival architecture.[3]
The house's facade features three gabled dormers and a centered door, topped by "an upside-down pedimented crown supported by decorative pilasters, sidelights, and a horizontal double row of small panes beneath the crown".[3] The Greek letters ΑΤΩ above the pediment.[3] The fraternity's coat of arms is a decorative feature above the double window over the pediment.[2] It also has sand-colored stone quoins.[3]
The house's first level includes a dining room, a living room, a reception hall, a cloakroom, a serving pantry with a dumbwaiter, a glassed-in porch, and a bedroom with a bathroom.[3] The second floor has dormitory bedrooms with built-in dressers, sleeping porches, and a large bathroom.[3] The third floor has more bedrooms, a bathroom, and a storage room.[3] The basement includes a chapter room, kitchen, room for the cook, the furnace room, and a "rough house" room.[3]
There is a single-story wing off of the northeast side of the house.[3] In 1987, the interior was refurbished and the rear roofline was changed in 1987 to increase the size of the third-story level.[3]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Harmon, Mella Rothwell. "Alpha Tau Omega - A fraternity house built in 1929". Reno Historical. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y Mella Rothwell Harmon (October 1, 2003). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity House / ATO House". National Park Service. and accompanying photo