LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — It's a craft being kept alive inside a building on the campus of Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology—letterpress printing.
"The internet was not always around," said Ken Kulakowsky, president and founder of the .918 Club. "This was our Twitter, our Facebook and the internet...the printed word."
The .918 club, which was formed in 2004 to support the operations of the Heritage Press Museum in downtown Lancaster, has used the location on Parkside Avenue as a hub to teach the art since 2009.
The name .918 is used because a piece of type is .918 of an inch high, according to the club.
“Whether it’s elementary students, high school, college students, [we share] what it was like to print…we like to call it B.C., before computers," explained Kulakowsky.
“Sometimes we even get down to toddlers and even they like to see something get printed with their name on it," said Ron Detterline, a board member of the .918 Club.
But now, the group is in need of a new home.
Thaddeus Stevens offered the building to the club in 2009, at no cost, through an agreement that has remained in place ever since.
At the time, it was an abandoned shell that was being used as a storage space; none of the school's trades wanted to use it for their programs.
Club members raised more than $77,000 to fix it up.
“It took us over four years to renovate and bring it up to code," said Kulakowsky.
A spokesperson for Thaddeus Stevens told FOX43 on Monday that in the last few years, the school has seen exponential growth in enrollment and needs more room.
The start of this school year saw the college’s highest enrollment ever, with 1,451 students in its programs compared to the 978 students enrolled in 2015, according to the school's director of communications and marketing.
In a statement to FOX43, the school stated:
"In the coming years, Thaddeus Stevens College will need to capitalize on the efficient and cost-effective use of its facilities. The College is currently leasing space to house some of its residents and program labs to accommodate the growth.
In light of these factors, the College plans to make use of the Parkside Avenue building in the future. Because of the College’s longstanding partnership with Mr. Kulakowsky, supporting important history and ongoing work in the print industry, we shared the need to vacate that space with him with nearly 12 months of notice, to give plenty of time to continue supporting and moving forward for his important focus.
Use of the Parkside Avenue location is part of the College’s multi-year facilities improvement and expansion plans. Details have not yet been worked out as there are many moving pieces to these plans. Thaddeus Stevens College works closely with state and city leadership on renovations and expansion projects and will continue to share details as they develop."
This means The .918 Club has to leave.
"[It was] devastation, all the time and effort we put into this building...what are we going to do now?" said Kulakowsky.
A letter sent by school administration to Kulakowsky in August spells out a July 2024 deadline, leaving the club pressed for time to find a new home.
"Everything has to move, all our presses are cast iron [and] run anywhere from 150 to 1,500 lbs. each," he explained.
The club is hoping someone has a solution, as Kulakowsky says learning the art is still in high demand and it's important to keep it alive.
Over the last three years, the club has had multiple school groups participate in programs.
"We have been able to demonstrate to elementary, middle school and high school students how printing was an integral part of the history they were studying. For elementary students studying the Middle Ages we are able to show them how Gutenberg’s press revolutionized the distribution of the written word," explained Kulakowsky. "Middle school students are introduced to the role printing played during the Civil War and especially at its conclusion. High school students studying the Renaissance are shown how its spread was directly affected by the introduction of the printed word."
It's hoping to stay in the greater Lancaster region and needs water and electricity.
"Whatever we get, we'll make it work, because that's what we do," said Kulakowsky.
This is the fourth time the club has had to relocate its letterpress shop.
Anyone who can help with the endeavor can contact the club at HeritagePressMuseum@gmail.com.
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