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

Moravian College • Preservation Master Plan
back onto the walls, resulting in rising damp and
mortar loss. Water splashing and ponding on the
concrete slab outside the first-floor entrance has
caused rising damp and pronounced deterioration
of the brickwork at ground level on either side of
the doorway. Small plants are growing out of the
chimney masonry and should be removed.
Figure 8-119. Day House, north façade, rising damp and brick
deterioration at front steps (JMA 2008).
Figure 8-120. Day House, chimney showing plant growth (JMA
2008).
Other Features
Day House has exterior lighting elements above
and next to the front door.
Interior
The interior was not accessible, but the first floor
reportedly has been renovated.
Current Use
The Day House is now used by Moravian’s art
department, with classroom space on the first floor.
This space is designed for art education, crafts and
studio classes. The building also houses an office
for Art Education faculty members. The ground
floor with its garage bays is used for storage
Treatment
The Day House should receive a Rehabilitation
treatment as outlined in The Secretary for the
Interior’s Standards and the design guidelines of
this preservation plan. Remaining historic fabric
on both the interior and exterior should be retained
and repaired.
Maintenance issues at the Day House include:
• Wood elements on the exterior are in
deteriorating condition and require repairs
and repainting.
• Gutters on the roof should be repaired or
replaced in kind to address leaks.
• Poor drainage around the house, both from
rainfall onto the house and runoff from the
hillside, is causing significant masonry
deterioration. Water leaks from the gutters
and roof should be eliminated. All water
and hillside runoff should be directed away
from the front steps and walls of the house,
using the least invasive means available due
to archeological sensitivity in this hillside.
Methods could include regrading around
the foundation to shunt water away, or
installing small swales around the house to
channel water downhill. The large concrete
slab in front of the door should be redone
to slope away from the house.
Main Hall – 1854
Historical Development
Main Hall was constructed in 1854 to accommodate
the expanding Bethlehem Female Seminary. The
site it stands on contained a residence used by
the headmaster, which was torn down to make
way for Main Hall. It was a remarkable building
at the time of its completion, as it was one of the
first in Bethlehem to have gas lighting, central
furnace heating, bathrooms with hot and cold
running water on each floor and a flat roof. The
building provided new residential quarters for the
headmaster, classrooms, and dormitory rooms for
students. Space to receive and entertain guests was
an important component of Main Hall from the
beginning. On the first floor, two parlors, known
John Milner Associates • October 2009 • Chapter 8 • Historic Buildings • 209