Designing a new and inspiring museum grounded in the history of Hershey
Millions of visitors come to Hershey every year to enjoy the park and taste the chocolate, but the historic town that Milton S. Hershey and his company helped to create is equally as captivating. A museum celebrating Milton Hershey’s work did not fulfill its potential in drawing visitors. Therefore, Warehaus and Gallagher & Associates worked with the M.S. Hershey Foundation to completely re-envision the museum.
Project Details
Client
The Milton S. Hershey Foundation
Size
20,000 sf
Completion Date
2009
Services
Architecture
We listen.
The team began by moving the
museum to a site right on the main
street of downtown. The new facility
acts as a visitor center, museum and
all-around community hub. The project not only tells the story of Milton S.
Hershey as an entrepreneur, philanthropist and town builder but also
includes a popular chocolate café, an
exciting interactive chocolate lab and
a large gallery for changing exhibits.
We design.
While not a historic preservation
project, the team worked through
many iterations to create an edifice
that blends into Historic Hershey and
furthers the founder’s vision for the
company town.
We deliver.
The museum is popular with outof-town travelers and has exceeded visitation expectations; the chocolate lab is booked months in advance. Equally important, the project has been widely praised by the local community as strengthening their existing pride in their history and helping to knit together Hershey’s historic downtown.
