Alpha Phi Fraternity House-Beta Alpha Chapter
Why it's listed
Alpha Phi's Beta Alpha chapter house stands in the middle of the 500 block of East Armory Avenue in Champaign, just west of the University of Illinois campus. The chapter purchased the property in 1923. The L-shaped building rises two-and-one-half stories and follows the Georgian Revival style, with red brick walls, brick quoins, six-over-six-light double-hung windows, a steeply pitched hip roof and pedimented dormers. A formal south entrance features a round-arched fan transom and molded wood surround. A compatible brick addition was built at the northeast corner in 1950. Inside, the vestibule has stained-glass panels in the sorority's blue and maroon, and the living room has a federal neo-classical mantel. It is the only active Greek chapter house in its immediate area and belongs to a group of fraternity and sorority houses at the Urbana-Champaign campus. Records of the chapter from the 1920s and 1930s describe its members' campus honors, athletics and social events.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the house as a surviving example of the fraternity and sorority houses serving the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus, and as the long-time home of the Beta Alpha chapter of Alpha Phi. The excerpt shows its role in chapter social, scholastic and athletic life from the 1920s through the 1930s. It is the only active Greek chapter house in its immediate area.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 05001250, listed November 15, 2005. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 508 E. Amory Ave., Champaign |
|---|---|
| County | Champaign County |
| Listed | November 15, 2005 |
| Reference number | 05001250 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Georgian Revival |
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still an active chapter house, described as the only active Greek chapter house in the immediate area; used for education-related housing. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.10763, -88.23125 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 05001250.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q20710393
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.