Monmouth College's Sigma Phi Epsilon chapter to unveil new house on Broadway
Ceremony will be held at 4 p.m. Oct. 9 as part of Homecoming festivities on campus
Monmouth, Ill. (10/07/2026) — The 'Red Door' will officially be opened on Oct. 9.
That's when Monmouth College's Sigma Phi Epsilon house will be formally dedicated as part of Homecoming weekend festivities on campus.
Alumnus Joe Svoboda '75 recently wrote about the chapter house's iconic entryway in a call-out to his SigEp brothers: "In October, we all have the opportunity to walk through the Red Door again and recall our home when we open the new house with special guests, tours, a cookout and a front-row seat for the (Oct. 10) Homecoming parade. This is a once-in-a decade opportunity - it won't happen quite like this again. The Red Door beckons."
Welcome to 'Greek row'
The house, which stands at 815 East Broadway along the college's new-look "Greek row," will be formally dedicated at 4 p.m. Oct. 9.
"The Illinois Gamma Chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon has been at Monmouth College for almost 80 years," said Brad Nahrstadt, a 1989 Monmouth graduate who went on to be national president of the fraternity. "In that time, we've lived in four different locations across campus. We're excited to plant new roots in the beautiful new chapter house on Broadway as part of the college's vibrant Greek row. The state-of-the-art facility offers a permanent home for our undergraduates to live, host events, recruit, display awards and memorabilia, and study."
The house is at the west end of Greek row. Moving east, the next three structures are all Greek housing - for Alpha Xi Delta, Zeta Beta Tau and Kappa Kappa Gamma, all of them directly across Broadway from what is considered the front door of Monmouth's campus
Monmouth President Patricia Draves welcomed the two newest members of that row - SigEp and ZBT, the latter of which will open its home in the months ahead.
"These two latest projects sustain the stately feel of homes on East Broadway and enhance the beauty of our campus," said Draves. "We are incredibly grateful for the generous support from our alumni on projects like these. They demonstrate the significant engagement of our fraternity and sorority alums."
Sigma Phi Epsilon and Zeta Beta Tau alumni contributed about $1 million for the two projects. Earlier in their history on campus, both chapters occupied houses on East Broadway. Both renovation projects have been overseen by the Monmouth firm Designed to Restore.
"Monmouth College has a strong legacy of Greek organizations, and they continue to make significant contributions to the fabric of our campus community, student leadership development and alumni support," added Draves, noting that two national sororities - Pi Beta Phi and Kappa Kappa Gamma - were founded at Monmouth in 1867 and 1870, respectively.
As Svoboda mentioned, several special events will celebrate the opening of the new SigEp house, including the dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony featuring Draves, national SigEp president Dave Calderon, Monmouth Board of Trustees members, and distinguished chapter alums.
Alumni and current members are also planning a cookout during the Homecoming parade, which will begin at 11 a.m., a half-hour prior to the parade. An open house will follow the conclusion of the Fighting Scots football game against Luther College.
About the chapter and national organization
Monmouth's Illinois Gamma chapter was established on May 22, 1948, and, in fact, one of its founding members, Don "Mac" McKinley '50, will be part of the celebratory weekend. The chapter has since initiated more than 1,200 members. Nationally, the fraternity has 192 chapters and more than 372,000 lifetime brothers, ranking it third among all U.S. fraternities.
Sigma Phi Epsilon was founded on Nov. 1, 1901, by 12 men at Richmond College (now the University of Richmond) in Virginia. At that time, the small church-related college had about 300 students, quite similar in age and character to Monmouth College at that time. The fraternity's national headquarters are in Richmond.
"Alumni from our SigEp chapter and our other Greek chapters have had notable, direct and long-term impact on the college over the decades," said Monmouth Vice President for Development and College Relations Hannah Maher. "At least 20 members of the chapter have served on our Board of Trustees, faculty and administrative staff, including several board chairs, and the SigEp chapter has provided the last two Commencement speakers."
One of those was Nahrstadt, who serves on the fraternity's national board of directors, as well as on the Monmouth College Board of Trustees.
"Illinois Gamma has been recognized with a Buchanan Cup 14 times as one of the top 5% of chapters in the U.S. in terms of academic performance, campus leadership and community service," he said. "That ranks the chapter fifth among U.S. SigEp chapters. SigEp revolutionized the U.S. fraternity system in 1991 when it unveiled its 'Balanced Man Program' focusing on academic achievement, personal and career development for members."
For a complete Homecoming event schedule: visit Homecoming Alumni Monmouth College
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THE STAR OF THE SHOW: On. Oct. 9, Monmouth College will formally dedicate the renovated structure at 815 East Broadway as the new chapter house for the men of Sigma Phi Epsilon.
Monmouth College
Barry McNamara 309-457-2117, mcnamara@monmouthcollege.eduShare this Story
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