Dedicated on April 21, 2001, the Hintz Family Alumni Center is known as "home away from home" for all Penn State alumni, with its meeting and reception rooms and lodge-like furnishings, as well as a collection of La Vie yearbooks and small display areas. It also houses offices of the Penn State Alumni Association.
Named to honor lead gift donors Ed and Helen Hintz and their family, the Alumni Center broke ground in 1999 and is a 30,900-square-foot building designed by Penn State alumni Tom Purdy and Linda O'Gwynn, of Purdy O'Gwynn Barnhart Architects Inc., Philadelphia.
The Alumni Center adjoins University House, which was home to 11 of Penn State's presidents. It was designed by and intended for President Evan Pugh, the University' first president, who died of typhoid fever at age 36 before the home's completion in 1864. President Eric Walker's family was the last to live there, departing in 1970 upon his retirement.
Outside the center, a series of gardens offer pleasant, peaceful spots for reflection and relaxation. The one-acre Alumni Gardens were dedicated in 2006 and funded entirely by private donations and a gift from the Alumni Association. The Alumni Gardens comprise five separate and distinct areas -- the Obelisk Garden, Rainbow Garden, Secret Garden, University House Terrace Garden and the Water Garden. More than 140 students majoring in landscape contracting assisted with the gardens' design and planting.
The Penn State Alumni Association, established in 1870, is the largest dues-paying university alumni association in the world. The Alumni Association publishes The Penn Stater magazine, a bimonthly publication that celebrated its centennial issue November 2010.
Hours
Monday–Friday: 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Saturday: 11 a.m.–3 p.m.
Special Weekend Hours
The Alumni Center also is open on special weekends such as THON, commencement, Homecoming and major sporting events.
Saturday: 11 a.m.–3 p.m.
Sunday: 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
Phone Numbers
Toll Free: 800–548–LION (5466)
Local: 814–865–6516
Read President Graham Spanier's Hintz Family Alumni Center dedication speech here:
http://president.psu.edu/speeches/articles/hintz_042101.html
More information about the Alumni Center is available at http://alumni.psu.edu/about_us/alumni-center online.
View aerial images of University House and the Hintz Family Alumni Center: http://live.psu.edu/image/4951042118, http://live.psu.edu/image/4951860779
Read more about the history of the Hintz Family Alumni Center and University House and see a timeline of photos that depict various renovations to the original Italianate-style farmhouse: http://alumni.psu.edu/about_us/alumni-center/university-house-history
View a timeline of the Alumni Association's history: http://alumni.psu.edu/about_us/history
This Penn State landmark is part of the iHear Penn State self-guided cell phone campus tour, listed as stop #15. Accessing iHear Penn State is easy. Dial the tour access number (814-308-5020) on your cell phone and follow the instructions. All stops are listed at http://ihear.psu.edu/