Penn State Susan Hirt Hagen Center for Community Outreach, Research, and Evaluation (CORE)

Project Description:

Believed to have been built in 1838, the Federal House is the oldest brick structure on Penn State’s Behrend campus. A family home, stagecoach shop, and safe house for enslaved people traveling along the Underground Railroad, the Federal House is home to CORE, a program that focuses on fostering positive youth development in Erie County, PA. The renovation and addition define an inspiring flexible space of inclusion, community, security, and growth. Significant existing walnut trees are integrated within the new site layout with a building program framing the existing landscape.

Photo credit: ©Brad Feinknopf/OTTO (designed by GBBN)

Project Location: Erie, PA

Date: 2019-2022

Team: Penn State University Behrend Campus, GBBN Architects

Awards: Pittsburgh AIA Honor Award