On the evening of March 9, 1855, eleven members of the New York Free Academy assembled at the Collamore House, Broadway, and there met two graduates of the Amherst Chapter, who avowed themselves so much pleased with the spirit manifested by the men there assembled, that they pledged themselves to use their whole influence with their own and other Chapters to obtain a charter for the petitioners.
As a consequence of this meeting, an application for membership in the Fraternity was drawn up and a committee appointed for that purpose, and presented to the Amherst Chapter. The affirmative answer of that Chapter was received on April 6, 1855, and the other Chapters having signified their approbation, a charter was issued, dated July 9, 1855. The evening of Monday July 9, 1855, was chosen for the initiation of the new Chapter.
From its time onward the Chapter prospered, and, on February 19, 1856, held its first meeting in its rooms at 809 Broadway, as yet not entirely furnished. After the completion of the hall a special dedicatory meeting was held on May 29, 1856, at which brothers from the Hamilton, Urban, Columbia, Yale, Amherst, Harvard, Geneva, Dartmouth, and Williams Chapters were present.
On June 24 and 25, 1857, the Twenty-fifth Annual Convention was held in New York City. The occasion was a great one in the Fraternity, and Manhattan Chapter received great benefit thereby.
For a long time the Chapter held the even tenor of its way, nothing especially worthy of note occurring until in May 1859, it received notice that the initiation of the Union Chapter was to be entrusted to Manhattan. Three Brothers served as the committee for the Chapter, and on July 8 seventeen men of the College were duly initiated. In the latter part of this year the Graduate Chapter in New York, so long a noted, useful and helpful body of Brothers first met as an organized body.
In the spring of 1891 the Chapter moved to its separate quarters at 13 East 42nd Street. These rooms were well adapted to the giving of private theatricala, which formed a pleasant feature of the Chapter gatherings.
In the winter of 1896 the Chapter moved into a commodious brownstone house at 130 East 57th Street.
In 1913, the Chapter became inactive and conditions on the campus have not been considered propitious for its revival. The Fraternity as a whole owes a debt of gratitude to the many distinguished alumni of the Manhattan Chapter for their generous interest in the Fraternity, which has continued up until the present day.