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

Moravian College • Preservation Master Plan
of the block already contained a privately owned
lot with a ca. 1820 Greek Revival farmhouse (figure
2-38). This property was purchased in 1889 to form
part of the campus, and Hamilton House, as the
dwelling is now known, was renovated and became
the Resident Professor’s House for the new campus.
Its name honors the first Resident Professor, the Rev.
J. Taylor Hamilton (Levering 1903:763; Moravian
College 2007:6-7, 20; Schamberger 2008; Schwarze
1910:188-89; Weinlick 1977:4-5).
The Church conducted a fundraising campaign
to support the construction of the new campus
buildings. The first two buildings for the Men’s
College were Comenius Hall, constructed in 1891,
and Zinzendorf Hall, completed the same year
(figure 2-39). Comenius Hall (figure 2-40) was built
in a Richardsonian Romanesque style and was
designed by architect A.W. Leh. The ornate exterior
was adorned with Moravian tilework and a slate
roof. Nearly all needs of the school were met within
this single building, which contained dormitories,
classrooms, and a basement gymnasium. In 1893,
the Gothic Revival Borhek Chapel (figure 2-41) was
constructed on its north end. The chapel was given
by Mr. and Mrs. Ashton C. Borhek in memory of
their daughter, Helen Stadiger Borhek, who died
at a young age. A corresponding addition on the
south end of Comenius was planned but was not
built at this point (Moravian College 2007:7-8; Yates
1976:262).
Figure 2-38. Undated post 1892 view of Hamilton House
(Moravian Church Archives).
Figure 2-39. Zinzendorf Hall (1891), Borhek Chapel (1893) and
west façade of Comenius Hall (1891), pre-1907 view (Moravian
College Archives).
Zinzendorf Hall (figure 2-42), a smaller brick building
with a hipped, dormered roof and Dutch Colonial
details, was constructed next to Hamilton House as
a refectory and laundry for the college. Hamilton,
Comenius, and Zinzendorf were officially occupied
in September 1892 (Moravian College 2007:7-8;
Weinlick 1977:4).
At this point, Moravian College and Theological
Seminary offered its students both a theological
education track to prepare the young men for
ministry, and a collegiate track. In 1896, a Latin
Scientific undergraduate program was begun to
provide a liberal arts college education to students
seeking vocations other than ministry. However,
the general public perception of the college was
that it was exclusively a theological seminary, and
changing its reputation to include its status as a
four-year liberal arts college proved challenging.
The College struggled to advertise the collegiate
alternative as a means of increasing the size of the
student body, which numbered only 31 in 1903.
In 1906, 47 students were enrolled, with 34 in
Figure 2-40. Comenius Hall (1891), early postcard view
(Moravian College Archives).
Figure 2-41. Borhek Memorial Chapel (1893), ca. 1890s (Moravian
College Archives).
John Milner Associates • October 2009 • Chapter 2 • Historic Overview • 25