The Hershey Community Center Building is an historic building which is located in Hershey,

Dauphin County, Pennsylvania Dauphin County (; Pennsylvania Dutch: Daffin Kaundi) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 286,401. The county seat and the largest city is Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's state capital and nint ...

. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1980.

History and architectural features

Paul Philippe Cret Paul Philippe Cret (October 23, 1876 – September 8, 1945) was a French-born Philadelphia architect and industrial designer. For more than thirty years, he taught at a design studio in the Department of Architecture at the University of Pennsylv ...

(1876-1945), under a general plan by

Milton S. Hershey Milton Snavely Hershey (September 13, 1857 – October 13, 1945) was an American chocolatier, businessman, and philanthropist. Trained in the confectionery business, Hershey pioneered the manufacture of caramel, using fresh milk. He launched t ...

(1857-1945), the Hershey Community Center Building was erected between 1932 and 1933. Plans for a community theater and center were originally drawn-up by

C. Emlen Urban Cassius Emlen Urban (February 26, 1863 – May 21, 1939) was a Lancaster, Pennsylvania-based architect. He was the leading architect in Lancaster from the 1890s to the 1920s. Biography He was born on February 26, 1863, to Barbara Hebble and A ...

in 1915. ''Note:'' This includes The Hershey Community Center Building is a five-story building, encompassing 190,699 square feet. It is shaped like a distended "E," with an open court in the front center and sun porches on three sides. ''Note:'' This includes The building is faced in Indiana

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

, and houses a large theater, the

Hershey Theatre Hershey Theatre is a 1,904-seat theater in downtown Hershey, Pennsylvania. Touring Broadway musicals, concerts, community performances, and dance groups perform at the theater. The Hershey Theatre is also home to the ''Hershey Theatre'' Apollo Aw ...

, which is , and small theater, which is , along with a variety of recreational facilities including a gymnasium, swimming pool, game rooms, locker rooms, and showers. ''Note:'' This includes The building also houses a library, which is and dormitory space, which is . ''Note:'' This includes It was added to the

in 1980.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Event venues on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Buildings and structures completed in 1933 Buildings and structures in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania