Hillel building still awaiting funds

Close to a year after construction was supposed to begin on the new multi-million dollar Hillel building, the project still faces several financial hurdles before plans can move forward, according to sources close to the negotiations. The project, which was supposed to start last summer, is projected to cost $11 million, about half of which has been raised. But uncertainty has loomed over all aspects of the facility, including its design and location, for the past year. According to Rabbi Howard Alpert, the executive director of Hillel of Greater Philadelphia, only about 50 percent of the necessary $11 million has been raised by Hillel. But the significant financial shortfall may be coming close to a resolution as financier and Penn alumnus Michael Steinhardt -- who founded the investment corporation Steinhardt Partners -- has reportedly offered the naming gift. Last week, a source close to the negotiations confirmed that Steinhardt will be the naming donor. And though Hillel has not officially announced Steinhardt's donation, Alpert did say last week that a naming donor had been found, but would not specify who. "We're speaking to funders, and we do have the naming gift already," Alpert said. And while Vice President for Facilities Services Omar Blaik said he did not know for sure who the naming donor was, he did say that the gift is substantial. "I understand from Hillel that there is someone who has put forward $2 to $3 million for the naming of the center," Blaik said. Aside from finances, the site of the facility has been a point of contention for many parties involved. Representatives of Jacobs/Wyper Architects -- the firm designing the new facility -- said in February that the new building would be constructed in Hamilton Village. Blaik also confirmed that the new facility would be located near the high rises. However, Hillel officials still will not disclose the facility's location. Last February, members of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity in Hamilton Village confirmed that the building would be located in the parking lot it currently shares with the Sigma Chi fraternity. Members of Alpha Tau Omega originally expressed displeasure with the proposed site and the upcoming loss of the parking lot, and said the fraternity was trying to have a discussion with the involved parties. Alpert said that negotiations concerning the proposed site had been cordial. "I think the conversations have all been very friendly," Alpert said. But while Steinhardt's donation may bring a measure of security to the new building's future, the gift comes after months of financial limbo. According to Blaik, the University has been waiting for months for Hillel to announce that it is ready to begin construction. "We are very hopeful that they will be successful so that we can consummate the agreement between us," Blaik said. And Alpert, though he would not directly state that financial woes are the reason for the delays, did say that fundraising issues were key concerns in the negotiations with the University. "Projects as complex as this, both in terms of its fundraising and all of the details that have to be arranged, it's very difficult to predict how long all of these negotiations will take," Alpert said. But Alpert also stressed that while the building may be behind original expectations, consultants had told Hillel at the beginning of the planning that fundraising for projects such as this could take years. "We're now 18 months into the project," Alpert said. And Alpert also said design concerns were part of the reason for the delay. "We have to come to agreement on what the building's going to look like," Alpert said. The current Hillel facility, located at 202 S. 36th Street, has long been recognized as inadequate to fulfill the needs of the growing Jewish community on campus. As the plan to relocate was announced in 1999, Penn Hillel Director Jeremy Brochin cited lack of space as one of the main reasons for requiring a new building. "I think we're already a community that's bursting out of the building," Brochin said. Current plans for the new facility provide between 30,000 and 35,000 square feet of space -- more than double the 11,000 square feet that comprise the existing Hillel facility. The building is to have three stories including a basement level, and will house Kosher dining, which moved out of Hillel five years ago due to lack of space. Kosher dining originally moved next door to the present Hillel facility, until that structure was transformed into the Graduate School of Fine Arts over a year ago. Irv's Place at 4040 Locust Street has housed the service since that time. But besides providing more space and a place to eat, Hillel hopes that the new facility will help to bring the various Jewish communities at Penn together.