Located at 82 Third Street, Troy, New York stands the former First Baptist Church. On January 2, 2014 our chapter purchased the building and its neighboring schoolhouse to be converted into our present fraternity home. The 24,000 square foot space was renovated from the former First Baptist Church of Troy and Troy Prep School.
The beautiful stained glass windows, though not designed by the Tiffany company, were installed during a 1881-1882 renovation.
Our former church has a rich history indeed. The congregation was founded in 1795, the second oldest in Troy. In 1805, a wooden church was built on the site of our present building.
That wooden chuch became too small for the growing congregation, and it was torn down and replaced by the present brick church in 1846. This was only 22 years after RPI’s founding in 1824 and 2 years before the founding of Phi Gamma Delta at Jefferson College in Canonsburg Pennsylvania. The imposing white steeple towers more than 175 feet above Third Street, and was used as an aid to navigation by ships on the river.
Most notably amongst its attendants was Samuel Wilson, the man behind America's Uncle Sam, who even served as Trustee from 1807 to 1817. A sign outside even claims that E. & S. Wilson supplied brick that was used to build our home.