09/24/2026
Fun fact - this was one of our earliest commercial projects!
One of the most recognizable buildings on the Albright College campus is the Merner-Pfeiffer-Klein Memorial Chapel-Auditorium, a building that has served generations of students for worship, lectures, concerts, ceremonies, and other major campus gatherings.
The chapel was constructed during a period of considerable growth at Albright in the late 1950s. Architectural records date the building to 1958–1960, and it was formally dedicated in February 1960. Contemporary coverage in The Albrightian described it as the college's new Merner-Pfeiffer-Klein Memorial Chapel-Auditorium.
When it opened, the building could accommodate 925 people for religious and cultural programs, making it one of the largest gathering spaces on campus. It was more than simply an auditorium: the ground floor also contained two faculty offices and four classrooms.
The dual name "Chapel-Auditorium" reflected its intended purpose. Albright wanted a space suitable for the college's religious life while also providing a large hall for concerts, lectures, assemblies, and other cultural events. That versatility has allowed the building to remain an important part of campus life for more than six decades.
The building's architecture is also a striking example of the transition taking place on American college campuses during the late 1950s. Rather than copying the Gothic style commonly associated with older college chapels, the MPK Chapel used a distinctly mid-century design: broad brick walls, a steep roofline, a tall glass-fronted entrance, and a slender spire rising above the building.
For Albright, the new chapel represented a very different era from the campus's older religious buildings. White Chapel, associated with the former Schuylkill Seminary campus, represented the school's earlier history, while the new Merner-Pfeiffer-Klein Chapel became the major religious and ceremonial gathering place for the expanding modern college.
And its role has continued. Albright's current campus map still identifies the building as the Merner-Pfeiffer-Klein Memorial Chapel, and the college's Multifaith Center is now located there.
For thousands of Albright students, however, the building is probably remembered less by its full name than simply as "MPK Chapel." Since its dedication in 1960, it has witnessed countless worship services, convocations, lectures, concerts, memorial services, student gatherings, and other moments in the life of Albright College.
Another familiar piece of Reading history that has now stood on the Albright campus for more than 65 years.
