Pi Lambda Phi at RPI
The chapter at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is the New York Kappa Tau chapter of Pi Lambda Phi. In 1949 Kenneth Anderson, Branting, Hickey, Clough, Dick Morse, Reynolds, Robinson, Schlicht, Stattel, and Vallance started Kappa Tau as an independent entity at RPI. By 1952 they had become an official Pi Lambda Phi colony. Kappa Tau received an official charter as a chapter of Pi Lambda Phi in 1954, with Anderson as the founding president.
First House
The first Kappa Tau house was located at the corner of Eighth Street and Eagle. Although this house has long since been torn down, the piano from the old house still remains and currently acts as the house mailboxes.
300 Pawling Ave
A jeweler by the name of George Harrison was the original owner of the land on which the house sits on now. He bought the property in 1877, and owned the land until his death at which time the land would be bought by Emma Kate Geer in the early 1900s. By 1935 the house had been sold again to Benjamin and Mollie Katz for $11,820. The Katz family would own the house for 35 years until it was given to their son Marvin who later transferred ownership to his wife Lois Katz. In 1969 the NYKT chapter of Pi Lambda Phi fraternity bought house from Louis for $51,000.
Random Facts
Currently the house has 3 floors and a basement with 14 bedrooms that can hold 25 people. There are 7 singles, 3 doubles, and 4 triples. Also there are 5 bathrooms and a shower closet. The house is currently painted white because it was used in the background in the Al Pacino movie "Scent of a Woman" and they did not want it to stand out.
