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

Moravian College • Preservation Master Plan
of the stadium and at the base of the building. These
changes, while likely instigated for interior climate
control, affected the visual weight of the building.
Beginning in 1963, Steel Field was used for soccer,
baseball, and intramural basketball. In the late
1960s, the college improved the site with a new field
house, new bleachers near the grandstand, a new
baseball field, and upgrades to the existing fields.
The improved Steel Field was dedicated in 1967. The
Hoffman Memorial Tennis Courts were constructed
in memory of Howard Hoffman, who promoted
the sport during his time as a professor and then
left a sizable estate to the College. Funds from the
bequest were used to build the courts, which were
dedicated in 1969. In 2005, the Grandstand was
renovated and a number of changes were made to
its appearance.
Figure 5-69.
Field House built ca. 1966 (JMA 2008).
For more detailed building analysis and discussion,
refer to Chapter 8 of this report.
Contributing features:
• Grandstand
Spatial Organization
The Steel Field character area is generally
organized into two primary spaces: the North Field
and the South Field (see figure 5-64). The North
Field comprises the area contained in the original
facility, prior to expansion past Laurel Street. The
South Field includes the block between Laurel and
Fairview.
The South Field is spatially simple, consisting of
an open ball field edged by chain link fencing and
vegetation that separates the field from the houses
on its east and west sides, as well as Fairview Street
to the south and the tennis courts to the north.
Figure 5-70. Open playing field and landscape of trees and turf
in the southern half of Steel Field. The recently constructed shed
on concrete slab is visible next to the bleachers (JMA 2008).
Figure 5-71. 1924 Bethlehem Steel Soccer Club in front of
grandstand on Steel Field. Note that side wings and rear
windows are open (Bethlehem Steel Soccer Club 2005).
The North Field is more complex and can be
further divided into six smaller spaces. Because
of the fill added to the site to create the main
field, a steep slope divides the street side of the
Grandstand from the seating side and creates an
enclosure along the street that spatially divides the
streetscape from the rest of the field. At the top of
the slope is the main field, which is enclosed on the
north and south sides by the Grandstand and steel
bleachers. It is bordered on the east side by chain
link fencing, beyond which is visible the façades of
the residences that face Center Street. It is enclosed
on the west side by screening shrubs and the rear
façades of the houses that front New Street and the
garage structures behind them on Long Street. Just
south of the main field are an open field on the west
and a softball field on the east. South of these are
the Field House, its parking lot, and tennis courts
enclosed with tall chain link fencing.
Contributing features:
• Main field
John Milner Associates • October 2009 • Chapter 5 • Cultural Landscapes • 97