House Tour

Colorado Chi SAE Housing Tour

1205 13th Street

This stately house was built in 1910 and became SAE’s first presents on the University of Colorado campus. The house was strategically positioned near the campus buildings of the day. This house would anchor the early fraternity row. On the south side of Pennsylvania you would find the Sigma Nu house. Up the street you could find Pi Beta Phi, although today the Pi Phi house has been raised and a gas station stands in its place.


In the early 1920’s there began a push to add a business district near campus. At the time a trolley line ran along 13th street, and this made the area an ideal location for businesses. SAE moved out of their house in 1923, coincidently the same time that the sink opened in the former Sigma Nu house.


891 12th Street

SAE made its home at 891 12th Street for the next 45 years. This house was built in 1923 and SAE moved in shortly after. At this house, SAE would see the largest growth in membership until the recolonization.


In 1956, the large recruitment classes and infusion of high quality men returning to college on the GI Bill caused SAE to expand their house to meet the demand for fraternity housing. This addition would make the SAE house the most modern fraternity house in Boulder.


Recruitment dwindled in the sixties, as the culture in Boulder changed. In 1969, SAE no longer had the numbers to fill the house. The SAE housing corporation would begin to rent the house to the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity in 1970. The SAE housing corporation would sell the property in 1977. This would be the last house that was owned by SAE in Boulder.


909 14th Street

SAE would not initiate a single man between 1971 and 1976. The small group that remained lived in a small house on 14th Street. As the chapter started to recruit, they were able to move into the house at 909 14th Street. The chapter would call this house home between 1980 and 1983.

888 13th Street

In the early 1980s, Alpha Phi was running into recruitment troubles of their own. Alpha Phi would suspend their chapter in 1983, and SAE would move into 888 13th Street in the fall. As the chapter grew, they were known on campus for large parties. The chapter was forced to move out of the house in 1987 after a beach party made the papers for two dozen reports of individual acts so profound and disgusting that decorum prohibits listing them here.


1107 12th Street

With growing numbers and no housing, SAE moved into the house at 1107 12th Street. The house had recently been inhabited by the ZTA Sorority. SAE would live in this house from 1987 to 1994. During this time the house would be known around campus as The White House.


1505 University Avenue

This house was built by the Delta Tau Delta fraternity in 1921 and was occupied by them until 1989. The national fraternity dissolved the University of Colorado chapter after a pledge suffered the effects of excessive consumption of alcohol. Angry fraternity members then vandalized the house. Extensive renovation was undertaken, at a cost of more than one million dollars. The Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity moved into the house in 1990.


SAE would move into the house in 1994. SAE would thrive in this house until 1996 when the University of Colorado purchased the house to convert it to additional office space. It currently stands as the Continuing Education building.

1135 11th Street

The final house that SAE would occupy before the recolonization was 1135 11th Street. In this house, SAE would grow complacent in recruitment. A combination of poor recruitment and poor brotherhood would lead to hazing issues and a drop in membership. SAE would cease operations in 2000.

Since SAE has returned to the University of Colorado, the chapter has resided at:


  • 1141 11th Street 2005

  • 1012 14th Street 2006-2008

1146 12th Street 2m008-August 2010

The house at 1146 was too small for the growing brotherhood at Colorado Chi. We were pushing 100 members in a 23 person sized house. Many of the rooms in this house were singles, but were used as doubles.

1101 University Ave

July 1st 2010, the chapter has now resided at 1101 University Ave. We hope to find permanent residence here for many years to come. More pictures.