Foundations
St. Anthony Hall was founded as the Fraternity of Delta Psi on January 17, 1847, at Columbia University in New York. Soon after the Hall's Columbia founding, chapters were founded throughout the Northeast, and extended into the South during the mid-1800s. Chapters of St. Anthony Hall are often known as "St. A's," or "the Hall," names used emphasize the consistency of Hall traditions.
St. Anthony Hall at Yale
St. Anthony Hall at Yale was founded in 1868, as a society of Yale's Sheffield Scientific School. In 1894, Frederick W. Vanderbilt, a St. A's member, contributed construction of Yale's original Hall; since the late 1800s, the facade and public interiors of 483 College Street have captured the imaginations of architects and art historians. The influences of architects George Lewis Heins (1894), Christopher Lafarge (1894), and Charles C. Haight (1913) are prominent throughout the building. Early design descriptions touch upon the Hall's historic dedication to literary pursuits--describing the Hall as the only Sheffield society dormitory to possess a library.
20th Century Developments
In the early 20th century, the Hall developed a reputation for delivering memorable public events. Notable Yale Promenade social receptions drew public attention in the early 1900s; by the 1920s, the Hall's annual ball, the Pump and Slipper, had become a standard society soiree. References to the Pump and Slipper are sprinkled throughout F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1920s works.
As the Sheffield Scientific School merged into Yale College (1956), Sheffield School fraternities--Berzelius, Book and Snake, and St. Elmo--became one-year senior societies. As a result of the merge, St. Anthony Hall became a "final society," evaluating prospective members for three-year membership in the fall of sophomore year. In the mid-20th century, St. Anthony Hall at Yale became the first chapter of St. Anthony Hall to accept a member of color (1961) and the first Yale society to accept women (1969).
Today
Commitments to intellectual exploration and tradition still direct today's Hall. Current public programs include the St. Anthony Hall Public Lecture Series, the St. Anthony Hall Scholarships for Women at Yale, and the Chase Coggins Memorial Fellowship Program.