Desserts, Etc. to open Mount Gretna outpost in 1902 Chautauqua landmark

One of Mount Gretna’s oldest buildings is about to have a makeover into a coffee and bake shop.

Hershey-based Desserts, Etc., is planning to open an offshoot of its popular bakery in the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle Building (CLSC), also known as the “circle building” on the grounds of the Pennsylvania Chautauqua.

The goal is to offer drinks and delectables seven days a week starting Memorial Day weekend.

In an interview on Monday with LebTown in Mount Gretna, Jim Hess, owner of Desserts, Etc., said he anticipates signing a three-year lease for the building off Route 117 sometime this week. Renovations to the existing space to accommodate the new tenant will begin shortly thereafter.

Planned are tables for customers inside and on the porch. Besides drinks, the shop will sell some of Desserts, Etc., signature cookies, muffins, sticky buns and cinnamon rolls. Cake slices also may be available.

“The menu isn’t finalized yet,” said Desserts, Etc., general manager Reney Bartolomei, daughter of Jim and Cindy Hess, who will also manage the Mount Gretna enterprise.

“We fell in love with Mount Gretna from working (the annual Mount Gretna Outdoor) Art Show as a food vendor for many years,” Bartolomei said. “We always felt Mount Gretna needed a coffee shop as well.”

Plans are to be open from 7 a.m. to evening, although exact hours will be set as demand is determined. Bartolomei hopes to stay open through October although the Circle Building is unheated.

The CLSC building has a storied history. Built in 1902, it was designed by John H. Cilley, who also designed the original Chautauqua auditorium and the Tabernacle in the Mount Gretna Campmeeting.

Initially, the one-story building served as a lecture and classroom space for the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle, a four-year program for adult learners without the resources to attend four-year colleges. Developed by the founders of the Chautauqua movement, the program involved an extensive curriculum including readings and written assignments, with face-to-face discussions and lectures held during annual Chautauquas. Pennsylvanians enrolled in the coursework traveled to Mount Gretna in the summer and met in the CLSC building.

Over the years, the building and three-sided veranda also served  as a meeting room and mini-lecture hall. In the 1920s, it was a library with 500+ books and reading room with seven-daily newspapers and maps, according to board minutes of the Pennsylvania Chautauqua, which owns the building.

More recently, it was an emporium and antique store.