I don't know that the things I love about my former house are replicable, but I like the idea of this thread.
- The original part of our house was built in 1926, so it has steam heaters. I really miss it being the middle of winter and 10 degrees outside but having to have my window wide open so I didn't roast to death. I also miss walking past the house in the winter and seeing that everyone else had windows open too.
- I miss the smell of the house in late August after no one has lived there for the summer...it's hard to describe, but the accumulated years of living have left an indelible scent that will forever remind me of being 18 and walking through the house during rush for the first time.
- I love that we have little traditions and restricted areas. Only initiated brothers are allowed to walk on black floors. I love that our chapter room is limited to initiates, complete with a coded lock on the door (though I know there are a select number of friends and girlfriends who have been snuck into it). I love how pledges aren't allowed to say certain words out of respect to the brothers. These were all things that made initiation that much sweeter.
- I love the "classic" library we had off of our living room. It was a great place to have committee meetings or meetings for outside organizations, or simply find a quiet place to sit and get away from distractions. It wasn't big, but it had comfy chairs and a lot of interesting books related to the fraternity or the campus.
- I loved that the place felt like home for everyone. After the bars closed or the party let out, there would always be guys hanging out in the formal living room...and sometimes the furniture got moved for impromptu wrestling matches. But the key was that guys felt comfortable enough to do those sorts of things.
I guess the bottom line is that you have to make the house a place where memories are made. That's what's going to make it a place that people cherish. Hold your meetings there, have fun there, make a place where people want to live or want to spend time there because it's ground zero for what's going on.