“There had been a building here since the 1950s, but there were some problems,” said Project Architect Kevin Alter of Alterstudio Architects, who also heads the university’s school of architecture. “It was about a 7,500-square-foot building. We tore it down and built a new one.”
Alter explained that Hillel is a Jewish organization that is always associated with a university. “It’s quite extraordinary,” he said. “Its focus is as a Jewish student union. There are cultural things, and it usually has a religious ceremony on Friday nights.