Although it is not the oldest building on campus, Leffler Chapel and Performance Center has served as a symbol of Elizabethtown College and has hosted enriching events for the community for almost a decade. From religious services to comedians, from musical performances to celebrated speakers, Leffler has certainly played a large role in the lives of all members of the Etown College community. This building has presented cultural and intellectual opportunities for many people throughout the years.
However, many active members do not stop to question the origin of this monumental building. As often as people on campus use the Chapel, a few key questions are often overlooked: Why was it erected; who was it named after; what was its original purpose? Only a select few who are savvy to Etown’s history and foundation know Leffler’s origin. Professor Jean-Paul Benowitz, director of student transition programs and assistant director of academic advising, recently completed a manuscript of a history of the College. His history is expected to be in print early in 2014. In his research, Benowitz unearthed new information on the history of Leffler Chapel.
Surprisingly, Leffler Chapel was not the only chapel in existence on campus. In fact, there were five other venues predating Leffler. “The first chapel at the College was in Alpha Hall and that was built in 1901,” Benowitz said. “And then the second chapel — the bigger chapel — was built in Rider Hall, which doesn’t exist anymore. That was built in 1906.” The garden beside Alpha Hall today is the site where Rider Hall used to stand before the building was torn down in 1988. “Then in 1929, they built the Student Alumni Gymnasium and Auditorium,” he said. “That is now the Tempest Theatre. [Brossman] was built around that building. If you go to a high place on campus, you will see the peak roof behind this flat roof where the actual gym used to be. It’s still there.”
Following in 1954, the Chapel was relocated once again to the Elizabethtown College Church of the Brethren located close to campus. Then the Chapel was relocated again to the Bucher Meetinghouse on the opposite side of campus in 1989. “The Bucher Meetinghouse, which is attached to the Young Center, was built in 1989 and that was where chapel services were held,” Benowitz said. The reasoning for the several relocations was due entirely to issues with finding a large space to hold both chapel services and other services on campus. “There was never a space on campus large enough to host the entire student body, faculty and staff,” he said. “So they would actually have multiple chapel services so that you could accommodate everybody.”
Following these several attempts to settle in one chapel space, Carlos brought up the idea of finding a permanent site to build a chapel on campus large enough to hold all of the people on campus without scheduling conflicts or space issues. Carlos was the chairman of the board and president of Carlos R. Leffler Inc. and ABE Oil Co. Starting in 1968, he served on the board of trustees, was secretary of the board beginning in 1979 and was awarded an honorary doctorate of humanities in 1989 for his services to the College. “He raised a lot of money for the College, and he gave a lot of money to the College,” Benowitz said. Although Leffler had not attended the College, he served as a large benefactor to the Brethren-founded College through his connection as a member of the Myerstown Church of the Brethren in Lebanon County (Pa.).
Carlos was a large advocate for building this chapel and served as the head of the capital campaign for erecting it. In 1994, the College attained funding to build the Chapel from the Kresge Foundation, a philanthropic foundation dedicated to promoting arts and culture, community development, education, the environment, health and human services through grants and investments. That same year, Carlos passed away. “He died young, so he never saw the Chapel built,” Benowitz said. “In 1996, the Chapel was dedicated in his memory because he was the only lone voice [for the Chapel’s construction].”
In addition to having the Chapel serve as a place for church services, Leffler Chapel and Performance Center has served also as a venue for performances and art exhibitions. “We’ve never had a chapel only dedicated for chapel services,” Benowitz said. “It is consistent with the College. We always have these other purposes and functions for the Chapel.” The Musser auditorium, the prayer room from the Winters family, the Lyet gallery and the M&M Mars room were provided as extensions of the Chapel for community use through benefactors of the same name.
Without the generosity of benefactors like the Leffler family and their drive to give back to the community, the College would not exist as it is today. “Everything is named after someone for a reason,” Benowitz said. “It’s important to remember in order to grow on campus.”