Penn State Hillel on Locust Lane
On January 19, 2016, Penn State Hillel announced plans to build a new headquarters/student hub on the north side of East Beaver Avenue between South Garner and Hiester streets (1). This, however, will not be Hillel’s first downtown experience; many people do not know or have forgotten that Penn State Hillel had a presence in downtown State College for over 40 years, (2) and that beginning in 1952, a new building at 224 Locust Lane (3) became a center for religious and communal activities for Jewish students and locals alike.
Figure 1. The foundation of the new Hillel building, with the existing structure from the former Stecker residence in the background (September 15, 1951). Note the protruding porch at the end of the building; this was demolished during the construction. Courtesy of Special Collections Library, Penn State University.
The land on which this new building was to sit was purchased for $25,500 by the B’nai B’rith Hillel Foundation Building Fund of Pennsylvania from the estate of Mrs. Ormelle H. Stecker of State College on August 22, 1949 (4). The parcel occupied the northernmost corner of the block defined by East Highland Avenue, Locust Lane, Orchard Alley, and a non-visible property line (5). A rectangular residential structure (Figure 1) (6) set back 60 feet from the Locust Lane property line and measuring approximately 40 feet (Locust Lane side) by 35 feet already existed on the property (Figure 2) (7). Hillel previously had been granted land on the other side of the above-mentioned property line by Charles and Bella S. Schlow on February 24, 1947 (8). The future Hillel would occupy the combined parcels (9).
Figure 2. Stofflet & Tillotson’s Sketch of Lot and Building that was part of its Application for Zoning Permit (July 5, 1951). Courtesy of the State College Borough Planning Department.
The B’nai B’rith secured the services of Philadelphia architect Louis Magaziner to design a multi-purpose building to be incorporated into the existing structure, which also was to be renovated; Stofflet & Tillotson of Philadelphia was selected as the builder (10). Magaziner’s addition to the existing building was a one-story elongated structure that extended in a southwesterly direction (that is, at a right angle to the original building’s orientation) an additional 152 feet (Figure 3) (11). Magaziner submitted his plans for the renovation/construction on April 26, 1951, with subsequent revisions on May 25 and June 14 (12). Groundbreaking occurred on September 9, 1951 (13); the building “was one of 24 (Hillel buildings) being built among the more than 204 Hillel foundations in the United States, Canada, and Israel” (14).
Figure 3. Louis Magaziner’s 1951 architectural drawing of the Orchard Alley (top) and East Highland Avenue (bottom) elevations. Photo by author.
Magaziner made extensive renovations to the existing structure. He did little work on the basement of the existing building, but the basement of the new building eventually had a small finished room that was used as a classroom/lounge (15). Magaziner converted the first floor into a welcoming area consisting of a reception room, a lounge with a new fireplace, and a study (the reception room and lounge retained the original structure’s wood floors) (16). He also removed the building entrance from the Locust Lane side of the existing structure and placed it in a vestibule that was part of the addition (Figure 4) (17), still facing Locust Lane (Figure 5) (18). The second floor was remodeled to include a classroom, a club room, and a library. The third floor was converted to a residence consisting of a living room, den, dinette/kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom (19). Initially the rabbi at the time and his family lived there, but subsequently rabbis and their families preferred separate, larger residences, and the third floor was rented to Jewish students and visitors (20). Both upper floors had access to a wrought iron fire escape (Figure 3).
Figure 4. Author annotated version April 2, 2016) of Stofflet & Tillotson’s Sketch of Lot and Building. The annotations are not drawn to scale, and show only the relative locations of the rooms and objects mentioned in the text.
Figure 5. Students standing outside the vestibule facing Locust Lane (September, 1962). Note the “marquee” above the entrance. Courtesy of Special Collections Library, Penn State University.
On the right side of the lobby was a long wall with three doors, one of which was directly across from the powder room/women’s restroom; this led to a kitchen, which had windows looking out on Orchard Alley. A second door, next to the kitchen door, served as an entrance/exit to a large multi-purpose auditorium (with a geometric-patterned asphalt tile floor and a raised maple wood stage (21) at the front), as did a third door further down the lobby by the vestibule. This auditorium, known as the Albert M. Cohen Auditorium (22), was the center of social activities, serving as, among other things, a dining room (Figure 6) (23), social hall (Figure 7) (24), and entertainment hall (Figure 8) (25).
Figure 6. Guests dine informally in the auditorium (September, 1962). The windows look out on Orchard Alley, and the rear door leads to the sanctuary. The people in the left foreground are leaning against the stage; note the geometric design of the tile floor. Courtesy of Special Collections Library, Penn State University.
Figure 7. Dancing in the auditorium (September, 1962). Courtesy of Special Collections Library, Penn State University.
Figure 8. A concert in the auditorium (date unknown). Note that the performer is wearing a kippah (skullcap). Courtesy of Special Collections Library, Penn State University.
One of the highlights of the building interior was a sepia mural (Figure 9) entitled “The Ideals of Judaism,” painted by Antonietta Terrazas Maluenda (a Chilean graduate art student at Penn State) as her “Masters’ project;” the mural was painted along the lobby side of the wall separating the lobby from the auditorium; it was dedicated on April 10, 1954 (26). Its central portion depicts many biblical scenes, including Rabbi Hillel being challenged by a student (left of center), and Moses with the Ten Commandments (right of center, and shown enlarged in Figure 10) (27). Terrazas Maluenda included scenes of Jews in the United States on the far left side (with the Statue of Liberty appearing prominently between the doors to the kitchen and to the auditorium), and in Israel on the far right side (with a kibbutz [collective farm] displayed above the recessed doorway, which also led to the auditorium) (28).
Figure 9. Antonietta Terrazas Maluenda’s mural “The Ideals of Judaism” (1954) in the lobby of the new building. Note that the mural wraps around doors at each end; the auditorium stage on the other side of the mural wall is bounded by the recessed wall on the left side of the doors on the right. Courtesy of Special Collections Library, Penn State University.
Figure 10. A close up of a portion of Terrazas Maluenda’s mural depicting Moses giving the Ten Commandments to the Children of Israel. Author’s photo of a photo courtesy of Penn State Hillel.
The section of the new building farthest from the original building (and reached through doors at either side of the back of the auditorium) contained a sanctuary with a bimah (altar) that held the Holy Ark (where the Torah scrolls were kept). Also in that section of the building were anterooms (one on each side of the bimah) and a vestibule providing outside access.
With the completion of the building, Penn State Hillel finally could conduct business, hold religious services, and sponsor social functions at one site. Its doors welcomed not only Hillel members, but also “the general Penn State student body and the community” (29).
Sadly, over the decades, the Locust Lane building deteriorated, and funds for making the necessary repairs and improvements were not available (30). By 1987, Hillel had moved out of the building and into Eisenhower Chapel (31); that same year, the building was condemned (32). Eventually Penn State Hillel moved to the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center, which opened in 2003 (33). On September 22, 1995, the Locust Lane property, including the former Hillel structure, was sold by B’nai B’rith Hillel Foundations at Penn State University to Downtown Rental Center, Inc. of State College for $550,000 (34); destruction of the building began on October 25, 1995 (35). Among the casualties was Terrazas Maluenda’s beautiful mural, which was painted on cinder blocks and concrete reinforced with iron bars; it could not be saved despite all attempts (36).
Author’s Note:
My article focuses on Penn State Hillel’s former Locust Lane site. I devoted relatively little time to investigating either Penn State Hillel’s years in State College preceding the move to Locust Lane or its time on the Penn State campus after leaving Locust Lane. I hope readers will fill-in many of the blanks that still exist throughout the article, and correct errors that I have made.
I would like to thank many people for their assistance. Dr. Eliyana Adler of the Penn State History Department brought the Museum of Pennsylvania Jewish History website to my attention, prompting me to undertake this brief study; she also provided much editorial assistance. Ms. Anne Messner of the State College Borough Planning Department discovered architect’s drawings, deeds, and other important items and made them available as I needed them. Mr. Joseph Pearce of the Centre County Library & Historical Museum helped me with old maps and city directories for State College. Mr. Aaron Kaufman (Executive Director at Penn State Hillel) and his staff provided information, went through their files to provide material, suggested websites that contained important information, and identified locals who might have first-hand knowledge of the topic. Ms. Meredith Weber, Ms. Lee Gruver, and Ms. Alexandra Bainbridge of Penn State’s Special Collections Library provided photographs and technical assistance. Rabbi David Ostrich of Congregation B’rit Shalom in State College and Mr. Arthur Fine of State College discussed my project with me and suggested investigative paths. Mr. Benson Lichtig of State College took time to answer my questions and give me an idea of the problems Hillel faced in the late 1970’s. Last but not least, my sincere thanks to Dr. Bernard Bronstein of Lemont, retired Penn State affiliate assistant professor and former Chairman of the Board of both the B’nai B’rith Hillel Foundation Building Fund of Pennsylvania and the Penn State Hillel Advisory Board (1976-1989). Dr. Bronstein graciously provided a wealth of information to me, answered many questions, took me to the former Hillel site, and gave insights that likely are not formally documented anywhere.
Endnotes
(1) Ciara O’Callaghan, “Penn State Hillel getting new location, moving downtown.” (Penn State) Daily Collegian, January 20, 2016, 1.
(2) Penn State Hillel was founded in 1935 (“Ground Broken for New Hillel.” [Penn State] Daily Collegian, September 12, 1951, 2). It had offices at 133 West Beaver Avenue (“Hillel Needs Teachers.” [Penn State] Daily Collegian, September 18, 1951, 3) above the Temple Market (author’s conversation with Dr. Bernard Bronstein, March 24, 2016) for several years before moving to Locust Lane.
(3) State College Con Survey City Directory Master Edition 1969, Volume 6 (Chillicothe, OH: Mullin-Kille, 1969), 687.
(4) Deed Ormelle H. Stecker by Exr. To B’nai B’rith Hillel Foundation Building Fund of Penna. Register’s Office of Centre County, Pennsylvania, August 22, 1949, recorded October 14, 1949. Mrs. Stecker was the wife of former Penn State Professor H. Freeman Stecker (Paula K. Knudsen, “A.W. & Sons knocks down Hillel house for apartments.” [Penn State] Daily Collegian, October 26, 1995, 2).
(5) Stecker to Hillel deed. The “Miles Street” referred to in the deed is now called Locust Lane and appears on State College Borough (map), circulated by Bond C. White, Office of the Prothonotary of Centre County, on October 10, 1945 as part of his re-election campaign (this map may be found in map drawers labeled “State College” in the Centre County Library & Museum, Bellefonte, PA.)
(6) Photographic positive from negative AN4492 (Caption on back of photo: New Building for Hillel Foundation, Highland and Pugh, September 15, 1951). Photographic vertical files, Students, PSUA1190 (folder PVF/STU/RELIGION/JEWISH-Hillel), Special Collections Library, Pennsylvania State University. The old structure is in the background, while the foundation of the new building is in the foreground. I have been unable to locate any photograph of the entire exterior of the completed Hillel structure.
(7) Stofflet & Tillotson, Ordinance No. 194 Application for Zoning Permit, page 1 reverse (Sketch of Lot and Building). State College Borough, PA, July 5, 1951. Permit number 1238 was issued on July 9, 1951.
(8) This is mentioned in Deed, B’nai B’rith Hillel Foundation Building Fund of Penna. and B’nai B’rith Hillel Foundations at Penn State. Register’s Office of Centre County, Pennsylvania, Book 830, pages 498-500 (Uniform Parcel Identifier 36-13/189), September 22, 1995. Charles Schlow and his family were known for their philanthropy in the State College area; Mr. Schlow made significant contributions to the State College Community Library, which was renamed in 1958 in memory of his late wife Bella (Stephanie Liberatore, “Schlow board to consider renaming library,” [Penn State] Daily Collegian, February 2, 2005, accessed April 1, 2016, www.collegian.psu.edu/archives/article_9240c2b5-Off2-5213-847b-821096b761cc.html).
(9) Bronstein, March 30, 2016. The former Hillel site is now occupied by The Legend apartment building at 246 East Highland Avenue (per author’s site visit, March 19, 2016, and confirmed by Dr. Bronstein).
(10) Stofflet & Tillotson, Application for Zoning Permit, page 1.
(11) Louis Magaziner, Registered Architect, B’NAI B’RITH HILLEL FOUNDATION BUILDING STATE COLLEGE PA (Philadelphia: Louis Magaziner, 1951), SHEET NO. 4 (ELEVATIONS). The top image is the Orchard Alley elevation, the bottom is the East Highland Avenue elevation. Magaziner’s plans may be found in the Borough of State College Planning Department, State College, PA, and in the Centre County (PA) Recorder of Deeds Office.
(12) Magaziner, HILLEL FOUNDATION BUILDING, all sheets.
(13) “Building Ceremony at Hillel.” Centre Daily Times, September 10, 1951, 1.
(14) “Ground Broken,” 2.
(15) Bronstein, March 30, 2016.
(16) Magaziner, HILLEL FOUNDATION BUILDING, SHEET NO. 2 (FIRST FLOOR PLAN). This sheet contains a section entitled SCHEDULE OF ROOM FINISHES that includes qualitative details about each of the rooms in the house. Unless otherwise indicated, all subsequent descriptions of the building’s first floor interior come from SHEET NO. 2 (either the FIRST FLOOR PLAN or the SCHEDULE OF ROOM FINISHES).
(17) Application for Zoning Permit (Sketch of Lot and Building), author annotated version (April 2, 2016). The purpose of the annotations is to provide a simplified illustrative version of Hillel’s first floor layout that is consistent with this article’s text; they are not drawn to scale, and show only the relative locations of the rooms and objects mentioned in the text. The annotations are based on data contained in several of the sources documented in the footnotes, in particular Magaziner’s building plans and my discussions with Dr. Bronstein.
(18) Photographic positive from negative A11045 (Caption on back of photo: Hillel Mixer, September, 1962). Photographic vertical files, Students, PSUA1190 (folder PVF/STU/RELIGION/JEWISH-Hillel), Special Collections Library, Pennsylvania State University. The painted carved wood “marquee” above the entrance currently is in the possession of Penn State Hillel and will be restored and likely placed in the new Beaver Avenue edifice (Bronstein, March 24, March 30, and April 3, 2016, and Mr. Aaron Kaufman, March 31, 2016).
(19) Magaziner, HILLEL FOUNDATION BUILDING, SHEET NO. 3 (ROOF SECOND & THIRD FL. PLAN).
(20) Bronstein, March 30 and April 3, 2016. Hillel was required to have facilities so that guests and residents could have kosher meals.
(21) Hillel stored chairs and tables needed for events underneath the stage (Bronstein, March 30, 2016).
(22) Bronstein, March 24 and April 3, 2016. Albert M. Cohen was the Chairman of the Board of the B’nai B’rith Hillel Foundation Building Fund of Pennsylvania from 1946 to 1976; he was instrumental in the site selection and building planning of the Locust Lane site. The auditorium was named in his honor when the building was dedicated.
(23) Photographic positive from negative A11033 (Caption on back of photo: 9/62). Photographic vertical, Students, PSUA1190 files (folder PVF/STU/RELIGION/JEWISH-Hillel), Special Collections Library, Pennsylvania State University.
(24) Photographic positive from negative A11043 (Caption on back of photo: Hillel Mixer 9-62). Photographic vertical files, Students, PSUA1190 files [folder PVF/STU/RELIGION/JEWISH-Hillel], Special Collections Library, Pennsylvania State University.
(25) Photographic positive from negative A5066 (Unknown date, no caption on back of photo). Photographic vertical files, Students, PSUA1190 files (folder PVF/STU/RELIGION/JEWISH-Hillel), Special Collections Library, Pennsylvania State University.
(26) Figure 9 shows the entire mural. Photographic positive from an unnumbered negative. Photographic vertical files, Students, PSUA1190 (folder PVF/STU/RELIGION/JEWISH-MISC), Special Collections Library, Pennsylvania State University. The artist’s name and the mural title and dedication date come from information attached to a different unlabeled photograph (of a portion of the mural left of center depicting Rabbi Hillel) in the Penn State Special Collections Library (Photographic vertical files, Students, PSUA1190 [folder PVF/STU/RELIGION/JEWISH-MISC]). According to Dr. Bronstein (March 30, 2016), the mural was Terrazas Maluenda’s “Master’s project.”
(27) Author’s photograph of a portion of an unlabeled photograph in Penn State Hillel’s files.
(28) Bronstein, March 30, 2016. The stage of the auditorium is on the other side of the left wall of the recessed doorway.
(29) “Building Ceremony.”
(30) Knudsen, “A.W. & Sons.”
(31) Kaufman. During those years, Friday evening Shabbat (Sabbath) dinners were served in the Frizzell Room at Eisenhower Chapel (“Campus Religious Organizations,” statecollegeCENTRAL.com [approximate date 2009], accessed March 29, 2016), www.statecollegecentral.com/scc2/community/religion.html. This is one of two fascinating ironies. Dr. John Henry Frizzell was the head of the Speech Department at Penn State, and College Chaplain from 1928-1946; his prayers have been published regularly in the Centre Daily Times since 1952 (“John Henry Frizzell papers, 1902-1971 [PSUA 366], Biographical Or Historical Note,” accessed March 26, 2016, www.libraries.psu.edu/findingaids/366.htm.) Dr. Frizzell’s property bordered the Locust Lane Hillel property (Figure 4); he also gave the invocation at the groundbreaking for the Locust Lane construction (“Building Ceremony”).
(32) Knudsen, “A.W. & Sons.”
(33) This is Penn State: An Insider’s Guide to the University Park Campus (University Park: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2006), 77.
(34) Deed, B’nai B’rith Hillel Foundations at Penn State University and Downtown Rental Center, Inc. Register’s Office of Centre County, Pennsylvania, Book 830, pages 501-503, (Uniform Parcel Identifier 36-13/189), September 22, 1995, recorded September September 25, 1995.
(35) Knudsen, “A.W. & Sons.”
(36) Bronstein, March 24, 2016, and Kaufman, March 31, 2016.