It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

[1] Designed by architect Paul Philippe Cret (1876-1945), under a general plan by Milton S. Hershey (1857-1945), the Hershey Community Center Building was erected between 1932 and 1933.

Plans for a community theater and center were originally drawn-up by C. Emlen Urban in 1915.

It is shaped like a distended "E," with an open court in the front center and sun porches on three sides.

[2] The building is faced in Indiana limestone, and houses a large theater, the Hershey Theatre, which is 51,525 square feet (4,787 m2), and small theater, which is 5,535 square feet (514 m2), along with a variety of recreational facilities including a gymnasium, swimming pool, game rooms, locker rooms, and showers.