Hershey Community Center Building

The Hershey Community Center Building is a historic civic and recreational complex in Hershey, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was developed as part of the community infrastructure associated with Hershey and was designed to provide residents with cultural, educational, athletic, and social facilities rather than serving as a conventional commercial brand. The building was erected between 1932 and 1933 under a general plan associated with Milton S. Hershey. Architect Paul Philippe Cret prepared the design, while earlier plans for a community theater and center had been drawn by C. Emlen Urban in 1915. The five-story structure contains approximately 190,699 square feet and is faced with Indiana limestone. Its plan has a distinctive expanded E-shaped configuration, with an open central court at the front and sun porches on three sides. The architecture combines a formal civic presence with a broad program of public and community amenities. Its facilities include the large Hershey Theatre, a smaller theater, a gymnasium, swimming pool, game rooms, locker rooms, showers, a library, and dormitory space. The principal theater occupies approximately 51,525 square feet, while the smaller theater covers about 5,535 square feet. The library measures approximately 6,640 square feet, and dormitory areas account for approximately 15,970 square feet. Together, these spaces reflect the building's original role as a multipurpose center intended to support performances, recreation, learning, and organized community life. The property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, recognizing its architectural and historical significance. Its importance is tied both to its design and to its role in the planned development of Hershey as a company-associated community. The building is therefore best understood as a historic civic facility and architectural landmark, not as a consumer-goods brand. No separate commercial product line, corporate leadership structure, stock listing, or standalone operating website is identified in the available reference material.

The Hershey Community Center Building was conceived as a major civic and recreational facility for Hershey, Pennsylvania. Early plans for a community theater and center were prepared by architect C. Emlen Urban in 1915, indicating that the idea of a purpose-built cultural and social complex preceded the building's eventual construction by several years. The completed project emerged in the early 1930s under a general plan associated with Milton S. Hershey, the community's principal developer, and was designed by Paul Philippe Cret. Construction took place between 1932 and 1933. The resulting building is a five-story, Indiana-limestone-clad complex with approximately 190,699 square feet of floor area. Its unusual plan resembles a distended letter E, incorporating an open court toward the front center and sun porches on three sides. The arrangement allowed the building to accommodate a broad range of activities while maintaining a formal architectural character appropriate to a prominent civic institution. The center was designed as more than a performance venue. Its facilities included a large theater known as the Hershey Theatre, a smaller theater, gymnasium, swimming pool, game rooms, locker rooms, showers, a library, and dormitory accommodations. The principal theater occupied about 51,525 square feet, and the smaller theater about 5,535 square feet. The library measured approximately 6,640 square feet, while dormitory space covered roughly 15,970 square feet. This combination of cultural, athletic, educational, and residential-support spaces illustrates the building's intended role in organized community life. Architecturally, the use of Indiana limestone and the building's large scale gave the center a durable institutional identity. Its theaters provided venues for performances, while the recreational areas supported physical activity and social participation. The library added an educational dimension, and the dormitories expanded the building's capacity to serve organized groups or community programs. In 1980, the Hershey Community Center Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. That designation acknowledged its historical and architectural importance. The building's significance rests on its relationship to the development of Hershey, its association with the community-planning ambitions connected with Milton S. Hershey, the work of Cret and the earlier planning of Urban, and the survival of a substantial multipurpose civic complex from the early twentieth-century period. Available reference material does not establish a separate corporate operating entity, a commercial product brand, or a detailed chronology of later renovations and ownership changes.

1. 1980National Register of Historic Places listing

   The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of its historical and architectural significance.

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2. 1933Building completed

   The five-story community center was completed with theaters, recreational facilities, a library, and dormitory space.

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3. 1932Construction begins

   Construction of the Hershey Community Center Building began under a general plan associated with Milton S. Hershey and architectural design by Paul Philippe Cret.

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4. 1915Early community-center plans prepared

   C. Emlen Urban prepared early plans for a community theater and center, establishing an initial concept for the later complex.

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A historic multipurpose community center combining theater, recreation, education, and residential-support facilities in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

• Hershey TheatrePerforming-arts venue1933

  The principal theater within the community center, occupying approximately 51,525 square feet. It forms the largest cultural component of the complex and was designed to support performances and public gatherings.

• Small theaterPerforming-arts venue1933

  A secondary theater within the building covering approximately 5,535 square feet. It complements the main theater by providing a smaller-scale performance and assembly space.

• Recreation facilitiesCommunity recreation1933

  The complex includes a gymnasium, swimming pool, game rooms, locker rooms, and showers. These facilities demonstrate the center's original role as a comprehensive venue for physical activity and community recreation.

• LibraryEducational and cultural facility1933

  A library of approximately 6,640 square feet provided an educational and cultural component within the community center.

• Dormitory spaceResidential-support facility1933

  The building contains approximately 15,970 square feet of dormitory space, extending its function beyond day-use cultural and recreational activities.

• 1980Hershey Community Center Building added to the National Register of Historic Places

  The historic building received recognition through inclusion on the United States National Register of Historic Places.

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1. Hershey Community Center Building