The Archi – Back Issues

Below are historical archives of the fraternity’s official magazine, The Archi, and of The Alpha Rho Chi Letter. Known issues are listed; a couple issues (likely esoteric) are missing.

1916
The Archi Book Cover

The selection of a name for the fraternity publication was decided after a discussion and vote by the delegates. The name ARCHI was chosen from the following suggestions: Lintel, Keystone, and Archi. — First Convention Report, February 3, 1915.

1920s
The Archi Book Cover

Publication of early issues rotated through the active chapters before resting with the Mnesicles chapter and alumni for seven years. The Grand Council was given responsibilty for the publication in 1929. Nicknamed “The Little Newspaper,” The Archi was published 9 times a year for much of the 1920s.

1930s
The Archi Book Cover

In 1930, The Archi returned to a magazine format with a mix of news and features. As the Great Depression wore on, the publication was scaled back but continued to be published on a regular schedule.

1940s
The Archi Book Cover

The Archi expanded in 1941 with more extensive articles and features on architectural education and professional practice. The profession's response to the Second World War figured prominently. By the end of the 1941-1942 academic year, wartime concerns and contraction in schools of architecture would cause the magazine to suspend publication until 1945. In 1948, The Archi resumed regular publication in a newsletter format.

1950s
The Archi Book Cover

The Archi continued through the 1950s in a newsletter format. In 1957, an enlarged issue reestablished The Archi as a magazine.

1960s
The Archi Book Cover

After serving on the Grand Council for 37 years, Dwight Palmer “Pop” Ely applied his energy and humor as editor of The Archi from 1960 until his death in 1964. For the remainder of the decade, editorial responsibility for the magazine passed from chapter to chapter.

1970s
The Archi Book Cover

For most of the 1970s, The Archi would be composed of short newsletters interspersed with longer “glossy” issues every couple years.

1980s
The Archi Book Cover
The Archi Book Cover

Starting in 1985, the fraternity began publishing newsletters under the title of The Alpha Rho Chi Letter. These newsletters would share the publication schedule with The Archi, now fixed as a magazine.

1990s
The Archi Book Cover
The Archi Book Cover

Sketches of the works of ancient architects by longtime Grand Lecturer Howard Van Heuklyn were a recurring feature of The Archi from the 1970s through the 1990s.

2000s
The Archi Book Cover
The Archi Book Cover

In the first decade of the 21st Century, Alpha Rho Chi expanded to eight new schools and returned to several more. In that renewed spirit, the fraternity’s publications were at their most prolific since the 1930s.

2010s
The Archi Book Cover
The Archi Book Cover

The fraternity approaches its centennial year.