CA may seek new owner for building

The Christian Association -- which has expressed interest in finding new management of its Locust Walk building for the past several years --Emay be close to concluding negotiations over the organization's future in the facility, according to its executive director, the Rev. Beverly Dale. The CA Board of Trustees currently owns the building -- which is located at 36th Street and Locust Walk -- and leases portions of the space to businesses including the Palladium Bar and Restaurant and organizations like the QuakerCard. Dale said she is frustrated because the CA's board spends an excess of time managing and overseeing the building. "The goal is to get the Christian Association board and staff out of the building management and to plan for the long-range financial stability of the ministry," Dale explained. And she added that recent discussions over locating a campus-wide Unity Center in the facility do not influence discussions over whether the Association will remain in the building, stressing that if students "decide that the Unity Center is what they want," it could be located in the building. Members of the Association's board hired the Martin Investment Group development firm in the spring of 1994 to examine the CA's options. Dale would not relate specifics on possible uses of the space, but said the developer's work is coming to fruition. "We know plans are moving forward to meet our objectives," she said. "We want to free ourselves to spend more energy and resources into our ministry here." Palladium co-owner Roger Harmon, who has leased space from the CA since 1983, said the CA appears to be considering two options -- remaining in the space with a different building owner or moving out of the building entirely. "The Christian Association program occupies a very small part of the [space] here," Harmon said, adding that the program has decreased in size since the 1920s, when the Christian Association building was originally built. The Hillel Foundation, which is located adjacent to the Christian Association at 202 South 36th Street, may consider expanding into the Christian Association building in the next few years, if the space is available, according to Hillel Director Jeremy Brochin. "It is quite obvious that Hillel is too small for all the needs that we have," he said. "We ultimately need to develop a first-class facility for Hillel -- we just don't have enough room." Brochin said Hillel representatives will continue to explore options over the next few years, but emphasized that ideas are in preliminary stages and that no discussions are currently underway. And he added that the CA building would require significant amounts of renovations. Brochin said he does not expect the CA to leave the building. And Dale confirmed that changing ownership of the building is "not one of the strategies on the table" now. Although current plans do not call for the CA to vacate the property, Dale said the board is examining a few locations for alternate space. Dale said the University has shown no interest in purchasing the property.