Brothers of the Delta Upsilon fraternity, whose house caught fire about a year and a half ago, will finally have the opportunity to move back into the restored abode come fall.

Built in 1903, the Delta Upsilon house — the first fraternity house built on campus — was ravaged by flames in late May 2008 but is now being reconstructed to meet the exact specifications of its original façade.

John Markiewicz, president of Delta Upsilon’s alumni board, said the fraternity house will look the same as it did before on the outside, as the construction team is using the original blueprints renowned architect Albert Kahn used to build the house.

Kahn also designed Hill Auditorium, the Fisher Building, the Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library and the Phi Delta Theta fraternity house on campus.

While the outside of the house — which is located on 1331 Hill St. — is being refurbished, parts of the building’s interior are also being revamped, like making the first-floor bathroom handicap accessible, creating a wider stairway leading to the basement and modifying room designs on the second floor.

According to a May 26, 2008 Michigan Daily article, the fire that devastated the house started shortly before 6 a.m. that morning, drawing firefighters from the city of Ann Arbor and surrounding cities. The fire was extinguished at around 9:30 a.m. that morning.

No fraternity members were living in the house at the time of the fire, as the house was undergoing bathroom repairs. The cause of the fire was never determined, though there was speculation that it could have been electrical, Markiewicz said.

Since the time of the fire, the Delta Upsilon brothers have been residing in several different rental houses over the past year and a half. The fraternity brothers are currently living in a rented house at 1012 Hill St.

Cody Stevens, LSA junior and president of Delta Upsilon, said he and the other brothers are very excited for the reconstruction of the fraternity house — which started on Nov. 1, 2009.

“Most of our guys haven’t even lived in the house,” he said. “My class is the last class that saw the house as it was before the fire.”

The fire and the subsequent relocation of the fraternity members have affected the chapter’s recruitment numbers, Markiewicz said, though he is hopeful the newly refurbished home will have a positive influence in attracting future members.

Stevens also said the house’s renovations will be important in drawing more prospective members during winter rush this semester and fall rush later in the year.

“We had a little trouble getting guys before because we’ve been living in different locations, but this fall (recruitment season) will be great for us,” he said.

Markiewicz said they’ve been fortunate the weather has cooperated thus far, making the renovations easier.

“Think about the winters before which were horrendous in Ann Arbor,” he said. “We’ve had almost no snow by comparison.”

The renovations are expected to be completed by the end of August so the fraternity brothers can move in for the fall 2010 semester. If the renovations aren’t completed by that time, the fraternity has back-up plans to continue renting at their current location on a month-to-month basis, Markiewicz said.