Chapter History

The Gamma Zeta Chapter of Sigma Chi at Union College was founded on December 3, 1923 when the local fraternity Delta Theta was granted a charter by the national chapter of Sigma Chi. At the time, Delta Theta owned and resided in 701 Union Street. The newly founded Sigma Chi remained there until 1942 when they leased the house to Phi Sigma Delta. The brothers then rented 730 Union Street with the intention of building a house on Union College's campus. Gamma Zeta Sigma Chi celebrated its 25th Anniversary in 1948 with the site dedication of a Lenox Road plot allotted to the fraternity by Union's board of trustees. In July of 1952, the fraternity moved to a house purchased at 1173 Wendell Avenue. The brothers spent the next nine years entangled in a zoning disagreement with the city of Schenectady over their property in the General Electric Realty Plot. Sigma Chi gave up the court fight in May of 1961 and handed the house over to the college. In the fall of that year, the brothers moved into Sigma Chi's current location in Raymond House on Union College's campus.
Raymond House, located at 1471 Lenox Road, was built along with Potter House to save four fraternities from their court battle over their properties off campus. Union's architect, McKim, Mead and White drew the elevations for the two buildings while the four fraternities collectively used the Troy, New York firm, Harrison and Mero, to draw up plans for the interior. The buildings were built by Schenectady's contractor Christiansen and Neilsen. Construction began in June, 1960 and the buildings opened to students in the fall of 1961. Raymond House was built at a cost of about $450,000 and is named after the college's former president Andrew V.V. Raymond. Sigma Chi shared the building with Delta Chi until 1989 when Delta Chi lost its housing privilege as it was unable to meet minimum occupancy ratings.