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

Moravian College • Preservation Master Plan
Figure 2-55. View of the east side of Main Street Campus, ca.
1970s (Moravian College Archives).
Figure 2-56. Bernhardt and Wilhelm dormitories (Moravian
College Public Relations).
the exterior was carefully restored to its original
appearance (figure 2-58). Next, a narrow connecting
annex between Main Hall and the Single Brethren’s
House was removed, and porches were removed
from the back of the latter to return it to its earlier
appearance. During the 1970s, the Single Brethren’s
House and most of the Hurd Campus buildings
were restored. Much in the same vein, Borhek
Memorial Chapel on the Main Street Campus was
restored to its 1893 appearance by the fall of 1967
(Weinlick 1977:105-106, 114).
During the 1960s and 1970s, Moravian College
obtained a number of private homes on streets
surrounding the Main Street campus. Many of
these houses were used as apartments for married
Seminary students, but over time have evolved into
a combination of student housing, Greek houses,
offices, and student services. Some acquisitions,
like the houses on Monocacy Street and Otis Place,
were torn down to construct college facilities or
parking areas (Moravian College 2007:9; Steers
2007:26-27).
2.3 Historic Preservation in
Bethlehem
1966 saw the passage of the National Historic
Preservation Act, which established the National
Register of Historic Places and made provisions
for the documentation and preservation of historic
properties. Section 106 of the Act provided
unprecedented consideration of historic resources
during government-funded processes, and state
historic preservation offices were established to
oversee documentation and listing of important
historic buildings and sites.
Figure 2-57. Beck dormitory (Moravian College Public Relations).
Figure 2-58. Main Hall restored, recent view (Moravian College
Public Relations).
Nationwide, cities were concerned with
deteriorating downtowns following an exodus of
residents and businesses to new suburbs during the
early- to mid-twentieth century. Combating blight
and revitalizing urban areas were key needs, and
many cities attempted to do this through razing
entire blocks of older buildings and constructing
modern-style new ones in their places. The concept
of rehabilitating and using old buildings as a tool
to revitalization was a radical departure from the
prevailing mindset.
Bethlehem’s leaders had the foresight to see the
wisdom of protecting the city’s historic built
environment. Beginning in the late 1950s, the City
of Bethlehem became interested in renewing its
John Milner Associates • October 2009 • Chapter 2 • Historic Overview • 31