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

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Moravian College • Preservation Master Plan Figure 8-183. Comenius Hall, Harvey Memorial Library, view to west (JMA 2008). Figure 8-184. Comenius Hall, Harvey Memorial Library, view to northeast (JMA 2008). was furnished for use as a social and assembly hall (Weinlick 1977:4,17-18). The new library balanced the chapel at the opposite end of Comenius, completing a symmetrical trio of impressive campus buildings. On Halloween 1913, a fire broke out in the freight elevator shaft of Comenius and swiftly gutted the three upper floors of dormitory rooms. The chapel and library were spared, but the main building was severely damaged. Within a year, Comenius was reconstructed with some changes to make it stronger and more fireproof. The original wood staircase was replaced with a steel version. The roof was supported by new steel trusses set on four-story inner brick walls and steel columns, and the halls were lined with fireproof cement flooring (Weinlick 1977:23-24). As time passed, certain functions within Comenius were moved to newer buildings, and space inside it was repurposed to meet changing needs. The science facilities were moved to the new Memorial Hall in 1923. With the completion of Colonial Hall in 1930, the second-floor dormitory rooms in Comenius were converted to classroom and office space. A round of renovations in the mid-1940s rebuilt this second-floor space to increase capacity, converted a first-floor student lounge to a classroom, and relocated the lounge to the basement, where a new cloakroom and bookstore were added. Following the merger with the Moravian Seminary and College for Women, the third floor of Comenius was converted to four large classrooms in 1957. In the early 1960s, the college administrative offices in Comenius were moved to Colonial Hall and the vacated office space became classrooms. Meanwhile, the fourth-floor dormitory rooms were repurposed as faculty offices, and Comenius ceased to function as student housing. Harvey Library was outgrown by 1960 and part of its collection was moved to a new Library Annex in the former gymnasium, now known as Monocacy Hall (Weinlick 1977:41,71- 72,109. In the late 1960s, major changes occurred in the Comenius complex. The Chapel was restored to its original appearance in 1967. In 1968, the 1914 steel center stairway in Comenius was removed and replaced by fireproof stairwells at either end of the building. With the removal of the entire library collection to the new Reeves Library in 1967, the double-height library space of Harvey Library was converted to classroom and office space. The first floor held a semicircular lecture hall and offices, and a newly built second floor housed additional offices. Signifi cance Comenius Hall is the most prominent building on Moravian’s North Main Street campus. Comenius Hall and its neighbor, Zinzendorf Hall, are the oldest of the buildings purposely constructed for the Main Street campus of Moravian College and Theological Seminary. Early in its history, Borhek Memorial Chapel was added at the north end and Harvey Memorial Library at the south end. The three connected buildings, now known collectively as Comenius Hall, form the center focal point of the historic campus. Its imposing east façade, set at the top of an expansive lawn, is the predominant image for the Main Street campus. Its architecture is a unique, distinctive, and creative interpretation of both Romanesque Revival and Gothic Revival, John Milner Associates • October 2009 • Chapter 8 • Historic Buildings • 232
Moravian College • Preservation Master Plan incorporating Moravian terra-cotta tiles and a variety of stone into an ornate, polychrome composition of arches and gables. The building exhibits moderate to high integrity inside and out. With its fine workmanship, evocative presence, and importance in the history of Moravian College, Comenius Hall is inarguably the most significant of the North Main Street campus’ historic buildings. Integrity The exterior of Comenius retains a moderate to high level of integrity. The ornate exterior terra cotta, tile, and stonework are well preserved, but there have been some window replacements and infills, plus new front steps, side stair towers, and rear stairwell entrances. The interior of the main building has a moderate level of integrity, and retains a significant amount of historic fabric. The circulation pattern inside the building was changed considerably in the late 1960s when the center stairway was removed and new end stairwells were added, but many historic finishes and materials are evident throughout. façade incorporating elements of both Romanesque and Gothic Revival architecture, including Romanarched windows and Gothic buttresses, gables, quatrefoils, and finials. The dark stonework is divided with contrasting horizontal belt courses and window sills of light limestone, and red and buff terra-cotta tile spandrels and greenish brownstone trim are also used. The building has an elaborate central front dormer on the fourth floor on both the front and back. The east front has a central main entrance with a large one-story portico with a stone balustrade around the top. Modern concrete steps connect the portico to the front walk. Comenius Hall is flanked by two later wings. These additions are connected to the main building by hyphens and include the single story with vaulted ceiling Borhek Memorial Chapel (1893) on the north and the two-and-one-half-story Harvey Memorial Library (1907) on the south. Borhek Memorial Chapel is a front-gabled Gothic Revival chapel with one large stained-glass window assemblage on each of its three elevations, a north cross-gable, The interior of Borhek Memorial Chapel is largely intact, including its original woodwork, furnishings, and stained glass windows, plus the organ system from 1950. Harvey Library’s interior has been fully rebuilt and exhibits little integrity. Condition Summary Comenius Hall is an oblong, three-and-one-halfstory stone building with a hipped roof and two cross-gables, with one at each end facing both front and back. The building’s primary façade faces east toward Main Street. This large edifice has an ornate Figure 8-186. Comenius Hall, Harvey Memorial Library, worn and delaminating stone steps at front entrance (JMA 2009). Figure 8-185. Comenius Hall, detail of east front gable (JMA 2009). Figure 8-187. Comenius Hall, front portico, stone delamination (JMA 2009). John Milner Associates • October 2009 • Chapter 8 • Historic Buildings • 233
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