A Call to Engagement

AN UPDATE ON THE CAMPAIGN FOR LLENROC:

The Restoration of an Architectural and Historic Treasure

Download the complete, full-color “Call To Engagement” brochure.

View our latest Llenroc Condition Reports

Download the 2016 external assessment.

Download the 2016 interior second floor assessment.

Download the 2016 third floor assessment and conclusion.

Llenroc is magnificent.

Grey and gracious, the great house commands the finest site in Ithaca, its lawns stretching northwestward toward the shimmering lake. Inside, the gleaming chandeliers and the elegantly detailed display of wood, plaster, brass, and beveled glass combine to make a masterpiece.

Architecturally, Llenroc has been praised as a “premier example of American Rural Gothic Villa,” one of only two fraternity houses at Cornell that have been honored with a listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Llenroc remains remarkably well preserved after a more than 130 years of harsh Ithaca weather, not to mention nearly 95 years of wear and tear on a property never meant for use by several dozen men in their late teens and early twenties.

This is our home. This is our treasure.

In 1998, we began a fundraising drive called THE CAMPAIGN FOR LLENROC: The Restoration of an Architectural and Historic Treasure.

The goal of the drive was to raise $750,000 for the Llenroc Foundation in order to address many critical needs for the house and grounds. Thanks to a huge outpouring of support from many dedicated alumni, the first five years of the campaign have been tremendously successful. The Foundation has more than $800,000 in payments and pledges. More than 100 donors from Classes from 1934 to 1996 responded resoundingly to the call to protect and preserve Llenroc.

Most of the nearly $500,000 the Foundation has collected to date has gone to complete major projects: sealing the perennially problematic roof, repairing and re-pointing the exterior walls, and re-landscaping the grounds nearest the house to improve drainage and make the foundation more secure.

As stewards of the Treasure that is Llenroc we must not rest on the success of a few good years. Reports by the architecture and engineering firm Einhorn Yaffee Prescott as part of a survey of the entire stock of fraternity housing at Cornell, and by the Syracuse architect and preservation planning firm Crawford and Stearns, recited a litany of needed repairs and recommended improvements to the house and grounds. We have accomplished a lot. Much more remains to be done.

THE LLENROC FOUNDATION

The Llenroc Foundation–a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization–was established in 1988 for the purpose of preserving the late 19th century structure of architectural significance in Tompkins County. Its board members are all alumni of Pi Chapter, with the exception of Ezra Cornell ’70, the eldest male descendant of the University’s founder. The Foundation has already made significant grants for repairs at Llenroc. It has also made noteworthy contributions to Historic Ithaca, a preservation group whose experts have made a number of useful recommendations for work at Llenroc and who have helped stimulate local interest in the importance of the building.

The generous donations of so many Pi Chapter alums have made possible lasting and significant improvements to the house and grounds at Llenroc.

Numerous gifts and pledges have been made at the $100,000, $50,000, $25,000 and $10,000 levels. Any campaign requires such major gifts to succeed. But we also need many gifts in more modest ranges. As the numbers and strength of our brotherhood continue to increase, so should the breadth and depth of our contributions. All gifts may be pledged and spread over a three-year period.

Alumni who have recently visited the University for reunions, Homecoming, Recent Alumni Weekend (RAW), or other occasions, have remarked on the great respect, care, and concern with which the current generation of undergraduates has treated Llenroc. They have worked hard to keep the building in shape, knowing full well how enormously if intangibly Llenroc contributes to the special character of the Pi Chapter of Delta Phi. They deserve the enthusiastic support of alumni and friends in restoring and improving Llenroc so it can continue to serve the fraternity well for decades to come.

In his inaugural address as the eleventh president of Cornell University, Jeffrey Lehman issued a challenge that has come to be known as The Call to Engagement. His call has stimulated discussions with students, faculty, and alumni in order to set new directions for the University for the coming decades. The Campaign for Llenroc mirrors The Call to Engagement by reaching out for support from hundreds of Pi Chapter alumni.All alumni are asked to recall not only the friendships and memories they share with their Pi brothers, but also the unique and historic building that remains our fraternity home in Ithaca. You are encouraged to demonstrate the importance Llenroc has had for you personally and for the proud tradition of Delta Phi at Cornell. Our goal is nothing less than the complete restoration of the grandeur of Llenroc, and it will continue to require the dedication and generosity of all Pi brothers. Your generous support is needed as never before.

Now is the time to support The Campaign for Llenroc: Restoration of an Architectural and Historic Treasure.

Because of the magnitude of Llenroc’s need we are seeking major gifts and commitments from all alumni. Each alumnus is encouraged to consider making a special gift to Llenroc as a major commitment to the future of the Architectural and Historic treasure that is our heritage. To meet the need and to reach our fund raising goals, alumni are encouraged to make cash pledges over a three-year period and a bequest or gift of insurance. Three-year cash gifts and pledges fulfill the immediate need for the house; bequests and insurance will assist in the building of our endowment over the long term. All gifts and pledges count toward the campaign total.

METHODS OF GIVING

Many donors prefer to make cash contributions over a three-year period. Gifts of stocks, bonds and other securities are welcomed. Gifts to the Llenroc Foundation may save on taxes of appreciated property. There may be tax advantages to giving real estate through the Foundation.

While this method may not help immediately with “bricks and mortar,” remembering Llenroc in your will is one way to increase the endowment of the Llenroc Foundation which will benefit future generations of Cornell Delta Phi. Please be sure to include your bequest as part of your pledge total and to advise us of the bequest.

Naming Llenroc as beneficiary of life insurance is another method of deferred giving. If you wish to make a gift of equipment or some other asset, please contact a campaign leader.

THE LLENROC FOUNDATION
c/o Pamela Costley
Elevate
3109 N. Triphammer Road
Lansing, NY 14882
Telephone: 607-533-9200
email: [email protected]

Alumni and friends making major contribution to “The Campaign for Llenroc – The Restoration of an Architectual and Historic Treasure” will be honored through the creation of a beautiful wall plaque at the house, with donors listed by gift category:

Delta Phi Patron: $100,000 or more
True & Firm Exemplars: $50,000
Gentlemen & Scholars: $20,000
Maltese Cross Society: $10,000
Sea of Stars: $5,000
Clasped Hands: $2,000
Lamp of Knowledge: $1,000
Scroll & Quill: $500
Llenroc Circle: $250
St. Elmo’s Fire: $100