Gratz College has secured its future in the northern and western Philadelphia suburbs. It will move from the Mandel Education Campus in Melrose Park in July to a leased, light-filled storefront located in nearby Jenkintown. The 3,700-square-foot space will support the college’s staff and provide ample space for continued community programming in the Old York Road community.
The new Gratz site will add valued operations to Jenkintown’s “Piazza on the Square” mixed-use development. The agreement with Lindy Property Management Company includes access to the adjacent “Uptown” event venue to maintain Gratz’s popular educational and cultural programs.
Gratz President Zev Eleff expressed excitement about redoubling Gratz commitment to the northern suburbs. “We are thrilled to remain firmly rooted in the Old York Road community. I hope Gratz will remain an anchor and incubator of Jewish wisdom for many years to come.”
The move is also an opportunity for Jenkintown, believes Alan and Carolyn Lindy of Lindy Property Management Company.
“Carolyn and I are thrilled that Gratz College will be at the Piazza on the Square, our corporate office for Lindy Communities,” said Alan Lindy. “Gratz College will enhance the vitality of Jenkintown, and especially the center of Jenkintown. As long-term supporters of Gratz College, we are especially gratified that Gratz is joining The Piazza.”
The move to Jenkintown is a multiphase project. The long-term goal is to broaden the use of the space as a convener site for local Jewish nonprofits. The college is in early discussions with congregations and
Jewish agencies on how to cultivate potential synergies and partnerships.
For its immediate needs, Gratz will utilize the Jenkintown location to accommodate the college’s in-person staff and some weekly noncredit, adult classes while renovations are made to its new Bala Cynwyd campus. Gratz has partnered with OZ Collaborative and Caritas Construction to reimagine the Main Line campus. Construction is slated to start in June and be completed in early 2026. During that
period, Gratz will continue selected operations in Bala Cynwyd.
“This is an exciting time for Gratz College,” explains David Brawer, chair of Gratz College’s Board of Governors. “The moving of our campus to Bala Cynwyd and the leasing of our new site in Jenkintown will provide the college with opportunities to expand our programs and provide much needed meeting spaces for both the Main Line and Old York Road communities.”
Much of the planning for the Bala location is underway. Since purchasing the campus, Gratz has onboarded daily learning opportunities, and attracted more than 150 regular attendees, under the supervision of Daniel Levitt, director of the Daniel and Louise Cohen Adult Jewish Learning Program.
The college was granted the required zoning relief by Lower Merion Township in January to construct a link building to connect two existing buildings. Building the link will better secure the campus with a single point of entry. Gratz was awarded a $150,000 security grant by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency to furnish the link building.
The 14,500-square-foot Bala campus will include a cafe, new learning spaces, co-working areas, a teen lounge and a theater that will feature the Dimensions in Testimony Holocaust-survivor interactive technology.
As of March, Gratz College has raised $4.5 million of a total $6 million capital project.
Contact: Lori Cohen, 215-635-7300, ext. 182, lcohen@gratz-college.edu.
