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

Moravian College • Preservation Master Plan
Figure 8-254. Coffered ceiling in south entrance vestibule
showing water damage from past leaks (JMA 2008).
Current Use
Zinzendorf houses two large classrooms and a pod
of offices on its first floor. The second and third floors
are offices belonging to the English department.
Treatment
It is recommended that Zinzendorf Hall receive
a Rehabilitation treatment during future work.
This building retains most of its original details
and finishes despite earlier renovations, and it is
recommended that these elements be preserved to
the greatest possible extent. The building’s current
use is sympathetic and this or similar uses are
recommended for the future. Retention of the large
former dining hall space, now a classroom, should
be considered.
Maintenance issues noted at Zinzendorf Hall
include the following:
• Remove vinyl siding and soffits, repair
any damage to woodwork underneath and
maintain historic woodwork.
• Do not re-point any additional brickwork
with original mortar until a formula specific
to the building is developed. Evaluate areas
with incompatible mortar to determine if
existing mortar should be removed and
re-pointed.
• Repair and maintain slate, and replace
damaged or missing slates with compatible
tiles that closely match the original.
• Clean up and remove paint slop on roof
slates and brickwork.
• Clear and repair or replace gutters; perform
regular cleaning and maintenance.
• White metal downspouts would be less
obvious if they were painted or coated a
darker color to blend with the exterior.
• If possible, reverse unsympathetic changes
such as aluminum window coverings.
• Interior paint finishes are failing on a
number of painted wood elements, such
as windowsills and moldings, which were
probably originally varnished surfaces.
Repair or removal of these paint treatments
is recommended.
Monocacy Hall – 1913
Historical Development
Monocacy Hall was built in 1913 as the first
designated gymnasium at Moravian College and
Theological Seminary. Prior to this, the college
gymnasium was a space in the basement of
Comenius Hall. Students of the College took the
initiative to raise funds for a new gymnasium.
The architect was Miles Andrews of Philadelphia,
and the contractor was Forrest F. Speck. The new
building was set on a former tennis court site and
was known as the Gymnasium from the time of
its completion. It had basement locker rooms,
recessed radiators in the walls, an upper-level oval
visitor’s gallery/running track and beamed wooden
truss ceiling (Weinlick 1977:21-22). It remained
the primary athletic building for the college until
Johnston Hall was built in 1952, followed shortly by
the merger that created the coeducational Moravian
College.
Figure 8-255. Monocacy Hall, view to southeast (JMA 2008).
John Milner Associates • October 2009 • Chapter 8 • Historic Buildings • 252