Delta Beta Real Estate Trust

Biography

Pukwana Club was founded in 1903, becoming Delta Beta Chapter of Sigma Nu fraternity in 1907. The Delta Beta Real Estate Trust was formed in 1910, received the chapter's house fund, and acquired the house of Prof. George B. Weston on North Main Street (current site of Kiewit Computation Center). In 1924, this property was exchanged with the College for lot #3 on Webster Avenue. On November 7, 1925, the new fraternity house was dedicated.

Despite the chapter's strong desire to remain affiliated with Sigma Nu, after years of struggle over the national organization's discriminatory membership clauses, ties to the national fraternity were severed. Delta Beta Chapter of Sigma Nu ceased to exist. While leasing the house to the newly formed local fraternity, Sigma Nu Delta, it became necessary for the Delta Beta Real Estate Trust to create another organization to hold title to the property (the trust instrument required two undergraduate officers of Delta Beta Chapter to serve as trustees, and Delta Beta no longer existed). The organization of Sigma Nu Delta House Corporation was completed in 1964; transfer of the title took place in 1967.

During 1984, primarily in consideration of the funds needed for renovations to meet Dartmouth's Minimum Standard Requirements for fraternities, Sigma Nu Delta House Corporation discussed transferring the property to the College. After a last meeting between the College and the Corporation in Dec. 1984, the College "did not respond to questions left with them or follow up further. It is believed that they considered the procedures that would be necessary to accomplish a sale...too onerous and unlikely to succeed."

Delta Beta Chapter was reinstated into Sigma Nu in 1986.

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