406 S. Pugh Street

This project transformed the historic former Alpha Chi Sigma fraternity house into a home base for Centre Helps, allowing them to expand their suicide hotline, among other services. The building will also be outfitted with 4 affordable and fully accessible housing units.

Project Overview:

Phase 1 – Commercial Construction

Following the completion of Phase 1, Centre Helps moved into their new home in May 2025.

What’s New:

  • 5,763 square feet of commercial space

  • ADA accessible parking and loading

  • Three-story elevator

Phase 2 – Residential Construction

Phase 2 construction, starting in 2026, will bring four affordable and fully ADA accessible rental housing units to the building.

One of the most significant additions to the building is a three-story elevator that will make all four rental housing units fully accessible.

What’s new:

  • 4 affordable rental housing units

  • Residential tenant metering and mini-split connections

  • Exterior landscaping and upgrades

Project Facts:

  • Built in 1923 in the Holmes-Foster/Highlands Historic District, 406 S. Pugh Street is included in the National Register of Historic Places.

  • Love a feel-good story? As they went through the selling process, the Alpha Chi Sigma alumni corporation knew they wanted the building to be preserved and for something positive to be done with it. While they could have made closer to $4 million on the sale (the price paid locally for comparable properties), the alumni corporation sold the historic building to the RDA for only $1.6 million, successfully ensuring that important human services and resources would stay in town.

  • Pre-construction, the empty fraternity building was home to a family of bats! (A family who was safely rehomed when construction began.)

  • This redevelopment project exceeds energy code requirements in accordance with both LEED standards for the commercial space and Enterprise Green Communities Certification requirements for the affordable housing units. Highly energy efficient building methods and materials have been used throughout the process.

  • Landscaped rain gardens are proposed along the south side of the building for stormwater management.

  • The four ADA accessible units will be a housing resource specifically for low-income State College residents with disabilities.

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