Behrend looks to honor past while reinventing a space that had become an eyesore

This article is part of a recurring series that updates the status of properties of interest in the Erie area. Have a suggestion? Email jmartin@timesnews.com.

Legend has it that Ernst Behrend, co-founder of the Hammermill Paper Co., took a chilly plunge each March into the outdoor swimming pool he had built just east of his Glenhill Farmhouse in Harborcreek Township and swam 80 laps.

Years later, after his wife widow Mary Behrend gave the 400-acre property to Pennsylvania State University to create what would become Penn State Behrend, the pool became a popular gathering spot for students.

In later years, sons and daughters of Behrend faculty members would recall learning to swim in the inground pool, said Behrend spokesman Robb Frederick.

Eventually, though, what had been a center of activity, became something else — a liability as use of the pool declined. Hidden behind a green chain-link fence and shrouded by a pool tarp, the pool eventually become an eyesore, said Ken Miller, who retired recently as senior director of administration and student affairs.

Although former Chancellor Don Birx was said to have a taken a plunge or two into the murky waters, the pool was closed around 1993.

New use for familiar space

Current students have access to an eight-lane pool at Behrend's Junker Center, but this outdoor swimming pool won't be coming back.

But now, as Behrend marks its 75th anniversary, a new purpose has been found for this space just west of the Glenhill Farmhouse, which serves as Behrend's administration building.

Truckloads of stone and dirt have been used to fill the blue void as crews work to transform the area into what Milller calls an inviting outdoor gathering space.

The work is being funded by $850,00 in donations, including money from the student activity fund and a lead donation from Jeff and Pam Kochel, son and daughter-in-law of the late Irvin Kochel, who was named administrator of the Behrend Center in 1954.

'A parklike greenspace'

According to Frederick, "We preserved the outline of the pool, which will be topped with turf, and expanded the patio area, which is made of stone pavers. That will create a parklike greenspace in the center of campus."

The space will include lighting as well as tables, chairs and power outlets for students and staff who need to charge their phones or power their laptops.

The space, designed by landscape architects at the Erie architectural firm Weber Murphy Fox, will be surfaced with granite and bluestone and will incorporate an eclectic mix of furniture, including Adirondack chairs and a combination of high-top and low tables.

Fieldstone, which is built into the design of the Glenhill Farmhouse that serves as Behrend's administration building, was also used in a planter at the south end of the pool.

That stone planter will become part of a waterfall and water feature that will become the focal point of the design. Fieldstone will be used elsewhere in the design to provide additional seating. Behrend plans to have the project finished in July.

Miller said he's hopeful that students will gravitate toward what had been a little-used corner of the campus.

"We didn't want to just (bull)doze the space and plant a lawn," Miller said. "We wanted to respect the space."

For Miller, who spent 36 years at Behrend, during most of which the pool sat empty, said the project represents a change in mindset.

"Prior to this, we were hiding it," he said. "Now we are trying to invite people in."

Contact Jim Martin at jmartin@timesnews.com.