Happy House-aversary!
Brothers -
On December 30, 1954, the Phi Kappa chapter at the Case Institute of Technology purchased a 39-year-old house at 11016 Magnolia. That makes today our House-aversary! A lot has changed in the subsequent 70 years, including the name of the fraternity and the name of the university, but at least one thing hasn’t changed. As an alumni newsletter stated in 1972: "We like this chapter house and expect to remain indefinitely."
As far as we are able to determine, the seventy years that PhiKaps have been living at 11016 Magnolia makes our house the oldest student housing on campus. Seventy years is older than every dorm. While there are a few fraternities that have been on campus longer than seventy years, they have all moved at least once in that time. Seventy years is even longer than Steiner House, which was founded in 1936 but changed locations in 1971.
11016 Magnolia in 1955. Photo provided by John Kobak ‘58
Our most famous alumnus never lived at 11016 Magnolia, but his financial support helped us keep it. Ernie Schmidt graduated in 1941, long before we acquired the house, but many brothers from the 1970s remember Ernie stepping in to make mortgage payments that were beyond the means of the undergraduate chapter. For that and for his long service on the board of our alumni group, Ernie was honored as the first member of our chapter to receive the Ohio Alpha Beta Lifetime Achievement Award in 1991.
From 1991 to 2008, a plaque in Ernie’s honor hung on the railing of the stairs in the main hallway of the first floor. This plaque was accidentally taken out of the house by a brother in 2008, who found it and returned it earlier this year. We had the plaque framed along with a photo of Ernie, and earlier this month it was hung above the fireplace in the Red Room, next to our charter.
The plaque photographed better on the table than on the wall. Photograph of Ernie provided along with Ernie’s obituary by A. Craig Griebel ‘75.
A lot can happen to a house (and a chapter!) in seventy years. Each of us was able to enjoy our time in the Ohio Alpha Beta Chapter and at 11016 Magnolia because of the work our predecessors put in. You can honor that work and support our chapter for future generations of brothers by joining the Ernie Schmidt Club. Right now, 10 members have committed to making more than $7000 in annual donations to the Ohio Alpha Beta Alumni Association. Please join them and help ensure that our chapter and house will be here for another seventy years.
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If you want to learn more about the history of 11016 Magnolia, here are some relevant past issues of the Paragon. Ever wondered when the house was built, who owned it before us, or what life was like in the house circa 1955? We can help!
- Renting on Cornell, Acquiring 11016 Magnolia, and Ernie Schmidt
- 11016 Magnolia through 1921
- 11016 Magnolia from 1921 to the present day
- The story of Tom Nilges, active president when we purchased 11016 Magnolia
Happy House-aversary! Happy New Year! Here’s to another 70 years of Phi Kappa Theta at 11016 Magnolia! We like this chapter house and expect to remain indefinitely.
Brothers of Phi Kappa Theta, let us be faithful.
Nathan Kossover
Secretary, Ohio Alpha Beta Alumni Association
Phi Kappa Theta
