From (potentially haunted) historic buildings to renovated industrial properties, University Advancement staff members work in a wide variety of office settings. Perhaps one of the most unique is Elliott Alumni House, home to the Office of Alumni Engagement.

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Some of the fashionable ladies who used to grace the walls of Elliott Alumni House



As those of you who are local to the community know, this building is a familiar landmark in Orange. It was built in 1904 by William and Ella Granger, who were associated with First National Bank of Orange in the Plaza. In the 1950s, when our campus first moved from Los Angeles to Orange, individual rooms were rented to students attending Chapman. You also may remember it as the vivid purple Victorian Manor Tea Rooms, its last incarnation before becoming Elliott Alumni House. I attended a bridal shower in junior high at the Victorian Manor Tea Rooms and I have vivid memories of the rather um…unique paintings of Victorian ladies all over the walls.

Chapman University purchased the property and began renovations in 2011. It took exactly 28 days for the renovation and restoration with crews working non-stop. After temporarily housing Dodge College faculty in the fall of 2010, the house became headquarters for the alumni relations team, which relocated there in March 2011.

The Old Towne Preservation Association awarded the Elliott Alumni House the Special Merit/Adaptive Re-Use Award, which “recognizes the significant contribution to preservation and sympathetic reuse of an historic building in Old Towne.” Great care was taken to maintain as many of the original, traditional features as possible, including European cherry wood that was imported from England on William Granger’s grandfather’s sailing ship. The original window pulleys are still working today as they did at the turn of the century. The window glass is also original.

Many of the rooms throughout the house are appointed with antique furniture, which is especially appropriate for our location in Old Towne Orange, a hot spot for antique buyers and sellers. Personal touches include photos from Tom and Pat Elliott’s travels adorning the walls of the conference room and a lighted globe donated by President Doti that he used to have in his office. President Doti also donated a 19th century Austrian cabinet, which is located in the parlor and currently houses copies of the Ceer, Chapman’s yearbook.



The office of Brady Hogan,
director of alumni engagement
, was most recently a full commercial kitchen, built for the Victorian Manor Tea Rooms. To transform it into an office, the wall and ceiling finishes were peeled back to reveal the original details and dimensions of the room. The molding, floors, stairs, banister and existing doors are all original as well, and were restored during the renovation.

“We have the privilege of welcoming alumni home, and to do so in an actual home, which has been a part of the community since 1904 is such fun and appropriate. We have all the alumni yearbooks from the past and a guest book on the ready for visitors,” said Hogan.

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Because of their unique workspace, the alumni engagement team is an especially close-knit group.

“Working in the Elliott Alumni House is a lot of fun. It is very warm and inviting and we are not a quiet bunch either. Most of the time you hear us laughing, throwing ideas around and collaborating on projects,” said Jessica Price, manager of alumni engagement. “If you haven’t had a chance to stop by, feel free to any time. We love giving tours and showing off the EAH!”

Rumor has it that the Office of Alumni Engagement isn’t the only tenant in Elliott Alumni House; it’s allegedly also home to several ghosts. In fact, according to the Haunted Orange Ghost Walk, the home is “one of the most haunted buildings in Orange County. The structure originally had a basement that was filled in by previous owners. Just imagine all the spooky stuff that must have been down there!
Visit the Haunted Orange County website to learn more about the house’s ghostly legends »

The Orange County Society for Paranormal Research conducted a fact finding investigation of the property in 2001 and claimed to sense the presence of several spirits, predominantly the presence of children’s spirits (specifically a girl with curly blond hair and a boy who likes to relocate silverware to get attention). Other ghostly residents include a woman in a wedding dress who likes to follow people around the house and a woman with dark, graying hair.


Elliott Alumni House is named for Pat ’60 (M.A. ’74) and Tom ’60 Elliott, two of Chapman’s most dedicated and active alumni. The couple is involved on campus through Town & Gown, the Charles C. Chapman Heritage Society and the Alumni Association, to name just a few examples. In fact, Pat served as president of the Chapman University Alumni Association and continues on the board today on the executive committee.

If you haven’t visited the house, stop by and take a tour. Or
email me
and we can walk over together and check it out. The door is always open (during business hours) and the alumni engagement team members are happy to show off their unique workplace.

“The Elliott Alumni House is perfect for the alumni team to call our place of work. There is a real sense of family,” said Hogan.

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From left: Sarah Buckley, Jessica Price, Brady Hogan, Lisa Eap, Laura Miller