Criterion A: Education
Criterion C: Architecture
Period of Significance: 1932
Local Level of Significance
The Alpha Tau Omega House located in at 81 College Avenue, Orono, Penobscot County, Maine is a fraternity chapter house associated with the University of Maine flagship campus. The building is significant on the local level under Criterion A, Education and Criterion C, Architecture. Designed by Crowell & Lancaster and built in 1932, ATO House provided housing for its fraternity members. This and other chapter houses on campus provided student housing for their members which assisted the University of Maine as enrollment outpaced university constructed housing. In recognition of the housing shortage and due to limited budgets to expand university dormitories, the legislature authorized the university to guarantee loans for chapter house construction. The program helped create student housing without requiring funding for university owned dormitories. ATO House retains many of the character defining features of a chapter house like the bedrooms, study rooms, public spaces, kitchen, and the chapter meeting room. Changes to the attic dormitory room finishes and replacement windows have reduced integrity of design, materials, and workmanship, but the building retains sufficient integrity to convey its significance for both educational patterns and architecturally as a building type. The period of significance is 1932 which is the construction date of the building and the date when the University guaranteed loan became active.