It became apparent that Phi Delta Theta was destined to have a central office as early as 1915 when an article written by George Banta Jr., supporting the idea, appeared in the October Palladium (he suggested Chicago.) The plan received additional support from Frank J. R. Mitchell, Past President of the General  Council, in a commentary printed in the June 1917 Palladium.

A report of the Special Committee on Reorganization of the Administration was presented to the thirty-third Biennial General Convention in Indianapolis on January 1, 1918.  The report went into considerable detail regarding a person who would be put in charge of a Central Office but avoided any mention of where such an office might be located.  That question was answered in the February and April  1918 issue of The Scroll when the magazine’s Directory listed THE CENTRAL OFFICE in Oxford, Ohio.

There are numerous references to the Central Office in future publications but without a specific address.  At the Birmingham convention of 1914–15, “legislation was passed whereby the general Fraternity took over the ownership of the chapter house of Ohio Alpha . . .”  Funds were raised from the membership at large to finance construction of the Memorial Chapter House; included in the house was the library of the National Fraternity where the Central Office was located, at 506 East High St.