Alpha Rho Chi (ΑΡΧ) is an American professional co-educational college fraternity for students studying architecture and related professions. The fraternity's name is derived from the first three letters of the Greek word for architecture, ἀρχιτεκτονική.[1]

Alpha Rho Chi
ΑΡΧ
FoundedApril 11, 1914; 110 years ago (1914-04-11)
Sherman House Hotel, Chicago, Illinois
TypeProfessional
AffiliationPFA
Former affiliationPIC
StatusActive
EmphasisArchitecture and the allied arts
ScopeNational
MottoFidelitas, Amor et Artes
Fidelity and Love of the Arts
Member badge
Colors  Azure and   Sanguine
FlowerWhite Rose
PublicationThe Archi
   The Alpha Rho Chi Letter
Chapters34 collegiate, 21 alumni clubs
Headquarters210 W. Hamilton Avenue, #298
State College, Pennsylvania 16801
United States
Websitewww.alpharhochi.org

History

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Founding

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APX was founded on April 11, 1914, with the merger of Sigma Upsilon (local) at the University of Michigan and the Arcus Society (local) at the University of Illinois to form a national fraternity for Architecture and the allied arts.

Sigma Upsilon (local) had been founded four years prior by eight architecture students at Michigan, with the intent of eventually forming a national architecture fraternity, and had drafted their constitution and laws to reflect that. Two years after they were founded in 1912. they were recognized by their school as a fraternity and started negotiations with other schools to open up more chapters.

In 1911, the Arcus Society (local) was formed by fifteen architecture students as a secret society; it became public a year later. After recognition by their school, the Arcus Society started correspondence with several other schools to expand. One of those schools was the University of Michigan, which started the collaboration of the two founding brothers of ΑΡΧ, Leo M. Bauer of the Arcus Society and Chandler C. Cohagen of Sigma Upsilon.

According to fraternity history books, the Anthemios chapter at the University of Illinois claims to be the first chapter of the new fraternity. This was achieved by setting the meeting for the fraternity's organization and merger while Illinois was on break and Michigan was still holding classes. Iktinos at Michigan also claims to be the first chapter as their precursor organization existed before the society in Illinois. Both the Iktinos and Anthemios chapters are considered the founding chapters and share the same cadency mark.

Bauer and Cohagen met on April 11, 1914, at the Hotel Sherman in Chicago, where they selected the name for the combined organization, the new constitution and by-laws, and the coat of arms. The brothers decided to keep the colors azure and sanguine, from the Arcus Society, and the white rose, a symbol of Sigma Upsilon. They also selected the chapter names from a list of prominent Greek and Roman architects; Egyptian architects were added at a later date. Illinois selected Anthemios as their name, and Michigan selectedIktinos.

Expansion to World War I

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Alpha Rho Chi set expansion and becoming a national architecture fraternity as their first goal. Several existing architecture organizations petitioned to join, but only Tau Epsilon Chi of Ohio State University was accepted, being installed as the Demetrios chapter on February 25, 1916. The Cyma Club became the Mnesicles chapter at the University of Minnesota on October 10, 1916. Recruiting efforts slowed with the start of World War I because most of the brothers entered the armed services.

Great Depression and World War II

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After the war, the Kallikrates chapter was installed at the University of Virginia on February 15, 1922. The Andronicus chapter was installed a month later, on March 11, 1922, with eleven charter members at the University of Southern California.[2] Expansion continued at a rapid pace with the addition of members at Kansas State University, which formed the Paeonios chapter on February 10, 1923. Ten members of the Delta Club at the University of Texas at Austin were initiated on April 19, 1924, to form the Dinocrates chapter. The Polyklitos chapter at Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie-Mellon University) was established on May 24, 1924. With the addition of the Theron chapter at Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State University) on May 23, 1926, the fraternity stood at ten active chapters and was truly national in stature.

The Great Depression and World War II affected the strength of the local chapters, and several failed to survive. Only six chapters returned–Anthemios, Iktinos, Demetrios, Mnesicles, Andronicus, and Kallikrates–with strong alumni support and renewed membership. In 1954, the Vitruvius colony was established at Pennsylvania State University and was installed as a chapter on March 27, 1955.

Post-war and further expansion

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Next to be installed was a group from Arizona State University, which became the Satyros chapter on May 13, 1962. Two representatives from Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech) were initiated at the 31st National Convention; in turn, they assisted with the installation of the Metagenes chapter on March 23, 1969. With the addition of the Xenocles chapter at the University of Texas at Arlington on September 13, 1970, Alpha Rho Chi returned to its former high point of ten active chapters.

During the early 1970s, fraternity membership, in general, dropped as controversy raged on college campuses over the Vietnam War and any "establishment" organization. Alpha Rho Chi continued, installing the Cleisthenes chapter at the University of Houston on March 11, 1972. In the 1980s, college fraternities enjoyed a renaissance and Alpha Rho Chi added four new chapters. In June 1980, the Daedalus chapter was founded at the California Polytechnic State University to become the fraternity's second West Coast chapter. After an initiation night at the Anthemios chapter house, the Daphnis chapter of the University of Arkansas was installed on November 23, 1980. The Heracleides chapter of the University of Oklahoma was installed before a Texas-style bar-b-que at Xenocles chapter on September 6, 1981. After collecting the required ten members for initiation, the Rhoecus chapter was installed at the University of Kansas on April 8, 1984.

The Apollodorus colony was bussed for thirteen hours from the University of Florida to Metagenes chapter; they were officially installed as a chapter on April 10, 1986, in Gainesville, Florida. On March 29, 1992, Alpha Rho Chi installed the Pytheos chapter at the University of Nebraska. The Seshait chapter at Florida A&M University was installed on March 12, 1994, becoming the first chapter with an Egyptian namesake.

New Millennium

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The co-op program at the University of Cincinnati created a unique installation for the Rabirius chapter, whose members were initiated in two separate ceremonies; one held in Cincinnati on November 4, 2000, and the other on January 20, 2001. In September 2001, a professor began a correspondence with the fraternity in hopes of establishing a chapter at the University of Memphis. Up to this point, Alpha Rho Chi had limited expansion to accredited schools of architecture; however, after revisiting the fraternity's original objectives and mission, it was determined that there was no reason to exclude the University of Memphis. On October 19, 2002, the Imhotep chapter was installed in Champaign, Illinois.

Improved communications, including a website and email access, helped interested architecture students discover and contact the national fraternity, accelerating the pace of the expansion of new and reactivated chapters. Nicon chapter was established at Florida International University on July 11, 2004. In the Northeast, the Vitruvius chapter sponsored two new chapters simultaneously. Vitruvius installed the Domitian chapter at the New Jersey Institute of Technology on January 30, 2005, and the Senenmut chapter at the University at Buffalo on February 26, 2005. A colony at Tulane University was preparing its petition to establish a chapter when Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, closing the school for a semester and scattering the students across the country. After regrouping, the Hadrian chapter was finally installed on November 4, 2006.

 
University of Illinois chapter house

Students at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco formed the Cossutius colony, and were installed at the Andronicus chapter house on January 20, 2008. Representatives from Andronicus, Daedalus, Satyros, Anthemios, Hadrian, and Vitruvius chapters were on hand to usher in the newest chapter.

Recent history

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The Anthemios Alumni Association held a centennial celebration beginning in 2014. In 2014, the Olynthius chapter was installed at the University of Maryland. In the spring of 2017, Alpha Rho Chi welcomed two new chapters; the Theodorus chapter was established at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville in February and was followed by the Amenophis chapter at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale in April. On February 1, 2020, the inactive Demetrios chapter was revived and installed at the Ohio State University. Skopas chapter at Syracuse University is the most recent addition.

Chapter Houses

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The Anthemios chapter house at the University of Illinois is on the National Register of Historic Places. It has eighteen bedrooms, most of which used to be double occupancy. Currently, only rooms 5–7, 16, and 17 are double occupancy. Keeping up with the progressive era, the Anthemios house changed to coed bathrooms in the late 2000s due to the influx of female brothers.

The Andronicus chapter house is listed as a Historic Cultural Monuments by the City of Los Angeles and is awaiting placement on the Federal Register of Historic Structures.

Medals

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The Alpha Rho Chi Bronze Medal is awarded annually at accredited schools of architecture in the United States and Canada to honor graduating seniors who have demonstrated leadership, service, and the promise of professional merit. The recipients of the medal are decided by the faculty of each school. Membership in the fraternity is not a criterion for the award, nor is membership conferred to the medal's recipients. The medal program was established in 1931. Designed by sculptor Robert Merrell Gage, the medal is cast in bronze and features an image of a seated Athena holding a skyscraper.

On occasion, Alpha Rho Chi recognizes other individuals with two other classes of medals. The fraternity awards the Alpha Rho Chi Silver Medal for fraternal service. The Gold Alpha Rho Chi Medal honors an outstanding practitioner of architecture or an allied art. Recent recipients of the gold medal include I.M. Pei and Samuel Balen.

Master Architects

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Master Architect is a special classification of fraternity membership to honor brothers who have gained national prominence in the field of architecture and the allied arts, or who have made significant contributions to the built environment. The following individuals have been installed as Master Architects (with year honored):

Chapters

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Chapters take their names from architects of ancient Egypt, Greece, or Rome.[3] Active chapters are in bold; inactive chapter are in italic.[3][4]

Chapter Charter date and range Institution Location Status Reference
Anthemios May 22, 1914 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, Illinois Active [a]
Iktinos June 5, 1914 University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan Active [b]
Demetrios February 25, 1916 – xxxx ?; February 1, 2020 Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio Active [c]
Mnesicles October 10, 1916 University of Minnesota Minneapolis Minnesota Active [d]
Kallikrates February 15, 1922 – xxxx ? University of Virginia Charlottesville, Virginia Inactive
Andronicus March 11, 1922 University of Southern California Los Angeles, California Active
Paeonios February 10, 1923 – 194x ? Kansas State University Manhattan, Kansas Inactive
Dinocrates April 19, 1924 – xxxx ?, xxxx ? University of Texas at Austin Austin, Texas Active [e]
Polyklitos May 24, 1924 – 194x ? Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Inactive [f]
Theron May 23, 1926c. 1933 Oklahoma State University–Stillwater Stillwater, Oklahoma Inactive
Vitruvius March 27, 1955 Pennsylvania State University State College, Pennsylvania Active [g]
Satyros May 13, 1962 Arizona State University Tempe, Arizona Active
Metagenes March 23, 1969 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, Virginia Active
Xenocles September 13, 1970 – xxxx ? University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, Texas Inactive
Daphnis November 23, 1980 – xxxx ? University of Arkansas Fayetteville, Arkansas Inactive
Daedalus June 1980 California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, California Active
Cleisthenes September 6, 1981 University of Houston Houston, Texas Active
Heracleides September 6, 1981 – xxxx ? University of Oklahoma Norman, Oklahoma Inactive
Rhoecus April 8, 1984 – xxxx ? University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas Inactive
Apollodorus April 10, 1986 University of Florida Gainesville, Florida Active
Pytheos March 29, 1992 University of Nebraska–Lincoln Lincoln, Nebraska Active
Seshait March 12, 1994 Florida A&M University Tallahassee, Florida Active
Rabirius November 4, 2000/January 20, 2001 University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio Active
Imhotep October 19, 2002 – 20xx ? University of Memphis Memphis, Tennessee Inactive
Nicon July 11, 2004 Florida International University Miami, Florida Active
Domitian January 30, 2005 New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, New Jersey Active
Senenmut February 26, 2005 University at Buffalo Buffalo, New York Active
Hadrian November 4, 2006 Tulane University New Orleans, Louisiana Active
(Decimus) Cossutius January 20, 2008 California College of the Arts San Francisco, California Active [h]
Sostratus April 19, 2009 Washington State University Pullman, Washington Active
Agamedes April 30, 2011 University of Miami Coral Gables, Florida Active
Isidorus April 30, 2011 Miami University Oxford, Ohio Active
Severus June 9, 2012 Kent State University Kent, Ohio Active
Philon January 26, 2013 Washington University in St. Louis St. Louis, Missouri Active
Callimachus March 2, 2013 University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, California Active
Hemiunu March 9, 2013 – 20xx ? Howard University Washington, D.C. Inactive
Hippodamus March 9, 2013 Mississippi State University Starkville, Mississippi Active
Polyidus April 12, 2014 Southern Polytechnic State University Marietta, Georgia Active
Numisius May 3, 2014 NewSchool of Architecture and Design San Diego, California Active [2]
Olynthius September 6, 2014 University of Maryland College Park, Maryland Active [2][5]
Aristobulus March 7, 2015 – 20xx ? Clemson University Clemson, South Carolina Inactive
Theodorus February 4, 2017 University of Tennessee Knoxville, Tennessee Active
Amenophis April 1, 2017 Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Illinois Active
Skopas June 2020 Syracuse University Syracuse, New York Active [6]
  1. ^ Originally the local group Sigma Upsilon, established in 1900.
  2. ^ Originally the local Arcus Society, established in 1911.
  3. ^ Formed by absorbing the local group Tau Epsilon.
  4. ^ Formed by absorbing the local Cyma Club.
  5. ^ Formed by absorbing the local Delta Club.
  6. ^ Chapter was named for Polykleitos the Younger who was famous for being an architect. The spelling variation appears to be a Greek-to-English translation error.
  7. ^ Formed as a colony in 1954l
  8. ^ Formed as the Cossutius colony.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "The Archi Pledge" (PDF). Alpha Rho Chi. July 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 27, 2018. Retrieved October 8, 2022 – via Wayback Machine.
  2. ^ a b c "The Archi Pledge". Alpha Rho Chi Fraternity. 2017. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Active Chapters". Alpha Rho Chi. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  4. ^ A Survey of the National Policies of Professional Fraternities. Chicago: The Professional Interfraternity Council. April 1934. p. 26 – via Hathi Trust.
  5. ^ Raimond, Austin (January 18, 2014). "Olynthius Colony: Petition to Establish a Chapter of Alpha Rho Chi Fraternity". The Olynthius Colony. Retrieved 2022-10-08 – via Issuu.
  6. ^ "Alpha Rho Chi Skopas Chapter". soa.syr.edu. Retrieved 2023-02-03.