Hotel Hershey

Another of Milton Hershey's pre–World War I goals was a world-class resort hotel that would draw celebrities. Again he delayed until the onset of the Depression when he commissioned Witmer, his on-staff builder, to design the building. And, once again, his architectural vocabulary was in the familiar Mediterranean style rather than the more progressive style of the Traymore Hotel in Atlantic City or its numerous Art Deco progeny. The hotel stands on axis with Cocoa Avenue and can be seen from the terrace of the Civic Center ( DA31) beyond the amusement park ( DA30) atop Pat's Hill. The central block, terminated with short towers, is framed by flanking angled wings that frame a rear court. In the court's center is an immense circular dining room that, according to legend, Hershey wanted because nobody would feel as if they were placed in a corner. From its Spanish fountain in the lobby to the mixture of late Renaissance and Spanish–decor rooms, it provides the appropriate sense of luxury, and is now the flagship of a chain of hotels. The adjacent Art Deco Milton Hershey Jr. Old Senior High School is the work of the same team in the same decade.