In the shadow of a campus landmark, an unused former Hillel awaits a suitor

The building next to the Castle has yet to find a new king, queen or executive board.

Boston University purchased the property at 233 Bay State Road from BU's Hillel House four years ago. The Hillel moved in 2005 to the $15 million Florence and Chafetz Hillel House less than a block away at 213 Bay State Road.

BU Hillel Director Rabbi Joseph Polak said he estimates the projected costs at $2 million to $3 million, and the building cannot be used until those renovations are completed, because it is inaccessible to those with physical handicaps.

"They can't knock it down, and I don't think they want to," he said. "It's a lovely building."

Campus officials say renovations on the former Hillel house would be complicated by the building's existing architectural merit. It is one of just a few authentic Bauhaus structures in the area and is recognized as a "historical monument," Polak said.

Though BU has not held public discussions about what to do with the building, Polak said he proposed BU turn the center over to another religious organization.

"There are 20 or 25 religious student organizations at BU that don't have a home," he said. "That includes Islam, Hinduism and different brands of Christianity."

Hillel Jewish Education Director Rabbi Zev Aviez Heller said he supports Polak's proposal.

"We think that religious life should be supported here at BU," he said. "We think that the university does a great job supporting it, but some of the religious faiths have not been as well represented in the past, and it'd be great if they had a chance to express themselves."

BU spokesman Colin Riley said the university is unlikely to renovate the property any time soon, given the costs.

"It is vacant, and there are no plans at this time for the space," Riley said in an email. "Renovating 233 Bay State Road is currently a lower priority than investment in other academic, research and student life spaces on campus."

Construction finished on the old Hillel House in 1953, and the building served as Hillel's "Rock of Gibraltar," for decades, Polak said, until the building's small size and age created problems.

"On Friday nights, there were 150 people in the [old building's] dining room," Polak said. "And by the time you got to the second course, you had to go home and change your clothes because you were sweating so badly.

Activities Consultant Student Manager Jimmy Buck, who works in the Student Activities Office, said other student groups could benefit from a renovated 233 Bay State.

"I know that it's been vacant for some time now," Buck, a School of Management senior, said in an email. "I think that it would be great to open up more space on campus to student groups, and utilizing the space would be very helpful."

College of Arts and Sciences junior Greg Whitcher said he thinks BU should turn the building into something for the students.

"We've already got a pub next door," he said. "They could make it into a movie theater for student screenings. Or they could put in a Taco Bell."