Moravian Preservation Master Plan.indb - Society for College and ...

Moravian College • Preservation Master Plan
also gained significance for its 140-year duration as
a boarding school and college for young women.
In its early decades, female schools of this caliber
were rare in the United States. Finally, the Hurd
Campus was a key part of the restoration and
revitalization of historic downtown Bethlehem that
began with the restoration of Main Hall in 1958 and
has continued ever since. Its period of significance
is considered to span the years 1742 to 1959.
In general, the Hurd Campus retains a moderate
degree of integrity through the preservation of its
buildings and the spatial organization seen in its
relationship to Monocacy Creek, Main Street, and
Church Street. Few of the historic buildings have
been significantly altered or removed; changes
have been almost entirely additive or interiorrelated.
The rolling topography, the original
building locations along the bluff, and some of the
original garden spaces are all extant and support
the character of the pre-1960 college landscape. In
addition a portion of the path through the Pleasure
Grounds is still present in the alignment of the
service drive that leads up the hill to the rear of the
Single Brethren’s House.
Some aspects of integrity have been diminished
due to current conditions. The new residence
hall has a negative impact on the integrity of this
character area due to its central placement in
what was an open recreational space, the removal
of trees that created a woodland on the slope
leading to the Monocacy, and the disturbance of an
important archeological site during construction.
Prior to this project, the area that was once the
lower garden around the cast iron fountain was
replaced in the 1960s by a parking lot. In addition,
the original brick and stone campus pedestrian
entrance was demolished and replaced by a granite
vehicular entrance further up the hill. Overall,
historic recreational uses have been replaced with
buildings, parking lots, and vehicular drives. The
paving of the service drive with asphalt and the use
of river cobbles to reduce erosion also detracts from
the character of this historic feature. The current
variety of site furnishings and their placement also
diminish the integrity of this character area.
The Hurd Campus character area is in overall
fair physical condition. Condition-related and
hence, integrity, problems observed during field
investigations conducted on behalf of this project
are primarily those related to construction of the
new residence building and construction of the
parking lot in the 1960s.
Steel Field Character Area
The Steel Field character area encompasses
approximately fourteen acres of fields and
building facilities that serve the athletic program
of Moravian College (figure 5-64). The original Steel
Field, including a playing field and grandstand,
was constructed by Bethlehem Steel in 1916 to serve
its employees. The property was later acquired
by Lehigh University and then sold to Moravian
College in 1962 (Moravian Buys Steel Field).
Steel Field is located on Elizabeth Avenue, less than
one block east of the edge of the North Main Street
Campus. The boundaries of this character area
are Elizabeth Avenue to the north, Center Street
to the east, Fairview Street to the south, and Long
Street to the west. While the other streets easily
accommodate two-way traffic, it appears that Long
Street was originally an alleyway that served the
houses along New Street to the west.
An undated plan, likely drawn sometime between
1962 and 1965 and entitled “Moravian College
Existing Athletics,” indicates that the southern
boundary of Steel Field was once Laurel Street,
just one block north of Fairview (figure 5-65). This
plan shows layouts for soccer, softball, and varsity
baseball fields, as well as tennis courts. A second
plan indicates that Steel Field was later expanded
south to Fairview to accommodate more recreational
facilities, including varsity football, soccer, and
baseball fields, as well as additional softball fields
and tennis courts (figure 5-66). This plan also shows
the Field House, which was constructed in 1966.
Today, Laurel Street is closed between Long Street
and Center Street. Most of the pavement has been
removed with the exception of vehicular access to
the Field House parking lot. The length of Laurel
Street within that block has been replaced by a
sidewalk.
Natural Systems and Features
The Steel Field character area does not include any
notable natural features.
Contributing features:
• None identified
Buildings
Three buildings are located within the Steel Field
character areas: the Grandstand (1916), the Field
John Milner Associates • October 2009 • Chapter 5 • Cultural Landscapes • 94