The mission was to create a worship hall without a built-in cross, dome or ark that still had the power to inspire the spirit within people of different faiths. The product is the Frank and Sylvia Pasquerilla Spiritual Center.
At 11 a.m. today, students, faculty and community members will get a chance to experience the newly completed space, when Penn State dedicates the 30,000-square-foot addition to Eisenhower Chapel.
"It's really quite a spectacular space," said Rodney Kirsch, vice president for development and alumni relations
The new building features a two story auditorium with seating for 750 people, as well as office and meeting space for the 46 religious student groups and 25 full-time religious professionals on campus.
Philadelphia architect James Oleg Kruhly, who designed the new center, wrote of its concept: "The spiritual and emotional power of natural light was the dominant element in the design."
A brick light tower and a collection of windows carved into the south side of the main worship hall exemplify this idea, said Rick Riccardo, Office of Physical Plant (OPP) project manager."It's really trying to tie a lot of the faiths together," he added.
For inspiration in the design process, Kruhly visited the architect Le Corbusier's 1955 chapel at Ronchamp France, said Paul Ruskin, OPP spokesman.
Kruhly also painted the canvas that hangs at the focal point of the building's new worship space, which depicts figures arrayed across an abstract multicolored background, Riccardo said.
In creating the spiritual center, Penn State wanted an alternative to the Protestant-style architecture of the original chapel.
"It allows [various religious groups] to bring in their own sacred objects as they see fit," Ruskin said.
The spiritual center is named for the founder of Crown American Realty Trust, a publicly traded real-estate investment trust based in Johnstown, which specializes in regional shopping malls, including Nittany Mall.
In 1998, Frank J. Pasquerilla and his wife, Sylvia, made a cornerstone gift of $5 million, about a year before both of them died. Their son, Mark E. Pasquerilla, current chairman and chief executive of Crown American, will represent the family at today's dedication.
The overall cost for construction of the center and renovation of the original chapel was $9.3 million, covered entirely by private contributions.
Other major gifts to the project include $1 million from Bill and Joan Schreyer, $1 million from Sue and Joe Paterno, and $250,000 from Penn State Hillel.
Construction began in December 2001, but inclement weather proved an obstacle at times, and postponed the opening a few months.
Across the plaza from the new structure, the Helen Eakin Eisenhower All-Faith Chapel, which seats about 125 people, remains unchanged. The original structure was built in 1956 and named for the wife of Milton Eisenhower, the former Penn State president.
