MEADVILLE, Pa. – May 8, 2008 – Allegheny College, the nation's 32nd oldest college, is commemorating the earliest days of the college and the Meadville Chamber of Commerce with a unique tribute to two community leaders.
Earlier this year, the college purchased the property at 908 Diamond Park on which once stood the log courthouse where Allegheny College was founded. The site was also the founding location of Meadville's Chamber of Commerce, the third oldest in the country.
At a special concert by Allegheny Professor of Music and Artist in Residence Alec Chien last month, board of trustees chair Christine Nelson announced that the property would be named the Founders House in Honor of Richard J. Cook and Teresa M. Lahti. The building that stands at the site now is being completely renovated and refurbished.
“While the physical structure of that first courthouse is long gone, re-establishing Allegheny's presence at this site where the College was founded and some of its first classes were held honors the vision of the leaders who created Allegheny College nearly two centuries ago,” said Jonathan Helmreich, college historian and professor emeritus of history at Allegheny.
Cook, who is retiring at the end of this academic year after 12 years as president of Allegheny College, and his wife, Terry Lahti, have made strengthening the bonds between the community and the college one of the cornerstones of their work in Meadville. At the Chamber's annual meeting this spring, Cook was awarded the Governor Raymond P. Shafer Award for Distinguished Community Service.
The Founders House will serve as a visible gateway to Allegheny in the center of downtown. The renovated facility will house Allegheny's community engagement programs, providing working and meeting space for college students, faculty and their community partners, as well as for college-community economic and environmental development initiatives. In addition, it will provide a residence and working space for fifth-year interns/community engagement fellows.
Financial support for the purchase and renovation of the Founders House is being provided through gifts from Allegheny College trustees and other friends of the college.
