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Moravian College • Preservation Master Plan
growth, must appear in numbers sufficient to give
character to the woody outlines” (Downing 1850:74).
In addition, he recommends “[f]oreign trees of
picturesque growth.” This mix of textures and colors
is attractive to many people, he asserts, because of
the “imperfection of our natures by which most of
us sympathize more with that in which the struggle
between spirit and matter is most apparent, than
with that in which the union is harmonious and
complete; and partly because from the comparative
rarity of highly picturesque landscape, it affects us
more forcibly when bought into contrast with our
daily life” (Downing 1850:77).
Of particular relevance to the Picturesque character
of Comenius Lawn is the importance that Downing
placed on the ornamentation of stone walls
with English ivy (Hedera helix), particularly for
Gothic buildings: “This vine is the inseparable
accompaniment of the old feudal castles and
crumbling towers of Europe, and borrows a great
additional interest from the romance and historical
recollections connected with such spots. Indeed
half the interest, picturesque as well as poetical,
of those time-worn buildings, is conferred by this
plant, which seeks to bind together and adorn with
something of their former richness, the crumbling
fragments that are fast tottering to decay…” He adds
that “on stone buildings, it fastens itself firmly, and
holds both stone and mortar together like a coat of
cement. The thick garniture of foliage with which
it covers the surface, excludes stormy weather, and
has, therefore, a tendency to preserve the walls,
rather than accelerate their decay” (Downing
1850:314-315). Historic photographs show that the
front of Comenius Hall was once almost totally
covered in English ivy, which contributed to its
Picturesque character (see figures 5-73, 5-74, and
5-79). The ivy began deteriorating in 1940, and
was removed in 1977 (Schamberger 2008, personal
communication).
After the construction of Colonial Hall directly
across Main Street from Comenius, the central walk
was installed to connect the two buildings. Historic
photographs suggest that shortly after installation,
the central walk was ornamented with a mix of
plantings, including evergreen and flowering
shrubs. Today, the walkway is dominated by a
group of yews (Taxus baccata) that are overlarge for
their placement and block the view of the lower
façade of Comenius Hall. They are currently kept
under control by heavy pruning (see figure 5-82).
Their date of installation is not known. A small
planting of creeping juniper and variegated hosta
flanks the stairway at its lowest set of steps.
Other yews and a type of arborvitae (Arborvitae
sp.), apparently of the same vintage, also grow
along the foundation of Comenius on the east side
and suffer from the same “right plant in the wrong
place” fate. These have been hedged on the top
and pruned heavy from the bottom, giving them
a Japanese bonsai-like appearance. They also block
views of the stone and tilework of the lower part of
the building (figure 5-83).
Figure 5-83. Over-large yews and arborvitae block views of the
front wall of Comenius Hall (JMA 2008).
On the east end of the central walk, where it meets
Main Street, the stone gate pier and wall composition
is ornamented by plantings of yew, vinca, and
daffodils. The statue of John Amos Comenius is
ornamented at its base by a planting of a type of
dwarf arborvitae (Thuja sp.) and small azaleas. The
monument sign, described below, is ornamented
with flowering small trees and shrubs with a mix of
variegated hosta and other low groundcover. These
all appear to be of recent vintage.
Contributing features:
• Purple beech and oaks
Missing features:
• English ivy
Landscape Structures
Landscape structures within the Comenius Lawn
character area include the central walk gateway,
John Milner Associates • October 2009 • Chapter 5 • Cultural Landscapes • 104