The Newman House was the predecessor to the original Phi Kappa Theta Fraternity house. After the opening of St Al's in 1964 the then Newman House (also operating as a local fraternity called Chi Rho) started the track to join the National PKT fraternity. Father Don Shiroda was the first chaplain, Father McGee having gone off to Berkeley California on a Danforth fellowship. The house was located at 1301 Ruby, same as the current PKT house.
The original Newman house was built as a rooming house in the 1890's. I believe at one point in its history it was occupied by the Theta Tau Fraternity. The Newman Club purchased the house in 1950
with the help of several local businessmen, including Emile Sanregret and Judge Donelly.
I lived in the Newman House from 1962 to 1965. The Chi Rho Fraternity was established in 1966 and Phi Kappa Theta was chartered in 1968. I think the Wesley House was behind the Newman house on Pearl Street for a while, across from the current Jim's market.
In 1964 I wrote a history of the house called 'Notes on the Newman House' which surprisingly was still in use by the fraternity in 1985!
BTW the Newman House spawned three fraternities:
An attempt to form a Phi Kappa Theta chapter in 1961 collapsed as Father McGee (and Dean Meese) were opposed. A number of house members resigned and later formed the Sig Eps fraternity.
The Chi Rho gang was buddies with some of the Gamma Delta Lutheran guys and they (GD) formed the Beta Sigma Psi fraternity (now the Beta Sigma Theta). One of the founders was Jerry Benedict who was
a drinking buddy of mine in the old Tech Mens Glee Club (Does that still exist?)
The Chi Rho evolved into the Phi Kaps. Father Don Shiroda was a local boy who celebrated his first Mass at St Ignatius in 1958. I was then a freshman and was at the service.