Alpha Pi Lambda () is a local collegiate fraternity at

Drexel University Drexel University is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Drexel's undergraduate school was founded in 1891 by Anthony Joseph Drexel, Anthony J. Drexel, a financier ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, United States. It was established in 1935.

History

Alpha Pi Lambda fraternity was founded at the

Drexel Institute of Technology Drexel University is a private research university with its main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Drexel's undergraduate school was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a financier and philanthropist. Founded as Drexel In ...

in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 3, 1935. It was created as a local fraternity, with no intention of seeking national affiliation. The fraternity's first president was John Linehan. Its faculty advisor was Samuel Leonard of the Civil Engineering Department. In the fall of 1935, the fraternity held a Gala Homecoming Dance with the Don Brill Orchestra. The university suspended Alpha Pi Lambda for one year in January 2003 for violating the student code relating to "detrimental behavior". In February 2004, the newly reactivated fraternity lost its university recognition and its chapter house for violations of university policies, including "detrimental behavior, hazing and failure to comply with an appropriate directive or disciplinary decision". The fraternity was eligible to return to campus in the fall of 2005, if it made a successful petition to the university's Office of Campus Activities, Judicial Affairs, the dean of students, and the Inter-Fraternity Council. Alpha Pi Lambda was re-established in April 2006. Its alumni undertook a capital campaign and renovated the chapter house which was reoccupied in 2008. Alpha Pi Lambda's chapter house and headquarters are at 216 North 33rd Street in Philadelphia.

Symbols

Alpha Pi Lambda was established on the principles or pillars of friendship, honor, and loyalty. Its colors are crimson and grey. The fraternity's nickname is Apple Pi.

Chapter house

The fraternity secured its first chapter house on Baring Street in 1936. After moving to a house on the corner of 34th Street and Powelton Avenue, Alpha Pi Lambda purchased its current chapter house at 33rd Street and Powelton Avenue in the fall of 1939. Called the "Castle on the Corner", the fraternity's house was the former home of

brewer Brewing is the production of beer by steeping a starch source (commonly cereal grains, the most popular of which is barley) in water and fermenting the resulting sweet liquid with yeast. It may be done in a brewery by a commercial brewer, ...

and

real estate developer Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to other ...

Frederick A. Poth and was designed by architect A. W. Dilks in 1887.Highsmith, Carol M, photographer. (April 7, 2019)
The 'Castle on the Corner,' as it is sometimes called, is the home of Drexel University chapter of the Alpha Pi Lambda fraternity in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Built by W. Dilks for the wealthy Philadelphia brewer Frederick Poth in 1887, the house contains 16 bedrooms
. Photograph. Retrieved from the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

, October 4, 2024. This four-story, mansion has sixteen bedrooms. It was badly damaged by smoke and water after a basement fire in 1968. Located at 216 North 33rd Street in Philadelphia, the Castle on the Corner is the largest fraternity house on the Drexel campus. It is also one of the most historically significant buildings in West Philadelphia. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in May 1985 as part of the Powelton Historic District.

Activities

Alpha Pi Lambda's activities include social events and philanthropy. To raise money for charity, it converts its house into a haunted yearly. The event supports the Merciful Savior School for children with

cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, spasticity, stiff muscles, Paresis, weak muscles, and tremors. There may b ...

Member misconduct

On August 23, 1990, an Alpha Pi Lambda pledge fell to his death from the fourth-story roof of the chapter house. He had been drinking off-campus before the fatal accident. His body was discovered the next day in the alley behind the house.

References