Phi Delta Theta Fraternity House
Why it's listed
Phi Delta Theta's chapter house at 309 East Chalmers Street in Champaign was designed in 1922 by Chicago architect Howard Van Doren Shaw and built by the local firm English Brothers. It sits west of the University of Illinois campus, facing north on a low rise. The two-and-one-half story building is faced in rough ashlar limestone with dressed Bedford stone window surrounds, casement windows, a steep slate roof with dormers, and a projecting entrance pavilion carrying the fraternity's carved coat of arms. Inside, a slate-floored foyer leads to a library and music room with a stone fireplace and heavy oak beams, and an open oak staircase serves the upper floors of two-room suites. A limestone addition at the rear in 1966 replaced the original open loggia as dining space. Contemporary accounts called it the most expensive and elaborate fraternity house in town, and The Architectural Forum praised it in 1924. Its quality and its link to Shaw support its listing.
Significance in brief: The house is a work of the noted Chicago architect Howard Van Doren Shaw, who adapted English architectural traditions for residential and collegiate buildings. It was described at the time as the most expensive and elaborate fraternity house built in Champaign, and The Architectural Forum featured it in 1924. It is also part of the multiple property listing for fraternity and sorority houses at the Urbana-Champaign campus of the University of Illinois.
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 04000070, listed February 25, 2004. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 309 E. Chalmers St., Champaign |
|---|---|
| County | Champaign County |
| Listed | February 25, 2004 |
| Reference number | 04000070 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Howard Van Doren Shaw (architect); English Brothers (builder) |
| Architectural style | Late 19th & 20th Century Revivals: English Revival |
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in use as a fraternity chapter house with student housing, dining and living spaces; a one-story rear addition was built in 1966 and most windows were replaced with vinyl-coated casements matching the original pattern. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.10608, -88.23411 (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 04000070.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q20710404
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.