We’re back!
For the first time in a generation, Pennsylvania Theta has purchased a home.
On June 10, 2026, the 240 North Burrowes Road Alumni Association—PA Theta’s housing corporation—officially closed on the purchase of 328 E. Fairmount Avenue in State College for $3.5 million. The stone house at the heart of Fraternity Row, where the reestablished chapter has been building something special since its return to campus in 2024, now belongs to Pennsylvania Theta.
How We Got Here
This didn’t happen overnight, and it didn’t happen by accident.
Last December, we asked our alumni membership to make a defining decision: authorize the purchase of 328 E. Fairmount and secure the chapter’s future in a State College market where fraternity-suitable houses have all but vanished. You showed up. You asked hard questions at the January Q&A. And you voted YES.
From there, the board spent the spring finalizing financing, insurance, and inspections, with tremendous support from Phi Delta Theta General Headquarters and the Walter B. Palmer Foundation. And, on a Wednesday morning in June, we signed the papers.
Fraternity housing in State College has fundamentally changed. Rental inventory is scarce and getting scarcer, rent prices keep climbing, and no other fraternity-suitable houses are on the market. Ownership was the best and most responsible path forward, and now it’s done. The chapter is no longer at the mercy of a landlord or the rental market. Its future is in our hands, where it belongs.
The House
If you haven’t seen 328 E. Fairmount yet, you’re in for a treat:
- 29 bedrooms, the majority of them singles, exactly what today’s students want
- Home to 34 active brothers each semester
- 21 parking spaces, nearly unheard of for a house this size in State College
- Prime location in the heart of Frat Row, steps from downtown and campus
The house is in excellent condition. A recent borough inspection praised how well the men have cared for the space, and the summer is being spent preparing it for the fall semester.
For those of you who are familiar with Greek history at Penn State, you’ll recognize this as the old Alpha Sig house.
A New Era of Live-In Leadership
With ownership comes a new investment in the men who live there. This fall, the house welcomes its first Live-In Leadership Advisor (LILA): Coleton Geibel ’26, who will occupy the suite on the first floor.
Coleton is the right man for the job. A founding member of the reestablished chapter, he served on the executive board as treasurer, worked as house manager, and earned Iron Phi status. He graduated this spring with a degree in accounting and begins his professional career while providing day-to-day mentorship, oversight, and support to the brothers in the house.
When asked for the biggest lesson from his time in the chapter, Coleton’s answer was simple: “Live in the house.” Now he gets to keep doing exactly that, and the next generation of PA Theta men will be better for it.
Come See It For Yourself
Here’s the part we’re most excited about: every alumnus, family member, and friend of PA Theta will have the chance to tour the house at our annual event over Labor Day weekend, September 4-7. Details to come. Registration opens this week!
Help us Build What Comes Next
Owning the house is a milestone. Making it a home for generations is THE mission. If you’d like to be part of it, our donation page lets you direct your gift to the cause that means the most to you: housing operations, scholarships, events, philanthropy, or historic restoration.
