Muhlenberg Receives Gift from Trexler Trust for New Rehearsal Space
Muhlenberg College has received a $500,000 leadership gift from the Harry C. Trexler Trust, which will assist the College in opening a $3.5 million practice and rehearsal house to serve the College’s music, theatre, and dance departments.Monday, May 4, 2009 11:22 AM
The new rehearsal house will occupy a 10,000 square foot existing structure, the former Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity house, located on the western edge of the campus facing Allentown’s Cedar Beach Park and Lake Muhlenberg. It will provide 3,600 square feet of new practice and studio space for students, along with faculty offices.
Muhlenberg College President Randy Helm says, “As Muhlenberg continues to grow in national stature and reputation as a Mecca for performing arts education in the context of the liberal arts, our rehearsal facilities have been overstuffed to the bursting point. This creative repurposing of a former fraternity house will provide desperately needed rehearsal space for musicians and actors, while refurbishing a derelict property facing one of Allentown’s most beautiful public parks. A win-win for the college and the public.”
Muhlenberg College’s academic theatre and dance programs are ranked nationally among the top 20 small colleges in the 2008 Fiske Guide. With 199 students declaring majors in theatre and dance, there has been a 132% increase in the dance department and a 156% increase in the theatre department over the past five years. The College’s music department has experienced a 165% increase in majors over the past five years as well. For many students, including those majoring in areas such as biology, business, and psychology, the opportunity to study the arts is an important component of their liberal arts experience.
The Trexler Trust has been an important contributor to the College over the years, providing donations to dozens of projects across campus, including the Trexler Library and the Trexler Pavilion for Theatre and Dance. This year, the Trust awarded grants to more and 80 Lehigh County organizations, totally more than $4.5 million.
