The Wells Rapp Center for Percussion Research
The Wells-Rapp Center for Mallet Percussion Research was completed in winter 2023. This working facility is open to students and researchers alike, allowing visitors access to KU’s growing collection of music, photos and artifacts, along with the rare and valuable vintage collection of mallet percussion instruments that have been acquired over three decades. Concerts have already been held in the 2,100-square-foot performance space, and supporters of the project toured the space in April. The center is named for emeriti faculty members Richard G. Wells ’22 L.H.D. and Dr. Willis M. Rapp.
Delight E. Breidegam Building Headquarters of the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center
KU dedicated the Delight E. Breidegam Building: Headquarters of the Pennsylvania German
Cultural Heritage Center. This newly renovated building houses the heritage center’s world-class research collection of books, manuscripts, photographs, documents and artifacts. The state-of-the-art research library is open to students, faculty, visiting researchers and the public, allowing access to this unique collection showcasing four centuries of the Pennsylvania German cultural presence in the
region surrounding Kutztown.
The center is named for DeLight E. Breidegam Jr., co-founder of East Penn Manufacturing, philanthropist and enthusiast of Pennsylvania German culture.