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

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Moravian College • Preservation Master Plan the removal of a later coat of white paint and repointing of the brickwork, plus restoration of the windows, doors, and other details (figure 3-32). Finally, a connecting hyphen between Main Hall and the Single Brethren’s House was removed, permitting the restoration of the east wall of the Single Brethren’s House (Weinlick 1977:105-106). In its newly restored condition, Main Hall set an important precedent for both the college and the city, demonstrating the viability of historic preservation and how it could evoke an earlier time while providing facilities for modern use. Figure 3-32. Main Hall near the end of restoration work (Moravian College Archives). The Kemerer Museum, at that time housed on the first floor of the Single Brethren’s House, was the consultant on the restoration work on Main Hall. The museum focused on local history in the nineteenth century. Historic Bethlehem formed in this period as an organization dedicated to the eighteenth century period of Bethlehem’s history. Together, these two groups worked with the city on revitalizing the historic core of old Bethlehem. The College participated in the gradual restoration of its own buildings, including Frueauff House, the Single Brethren’s House, and West Hall, creating a highly visible chain of carefully restored eighteenth and nineteenth century buildings along the south side of Church Street (Weinlick 1977:106). Historic Bethlehem’s first Master Plan was written in 1963 by landscape architect Thomas J. Kane. It laid out a number of goals for restoring and improving the downtown. The plan involved not only building restoration, but archeological investigation; reconstruction of vanished buildings, landscape features, and sites; and new landscaping in most areas. Several target areas were discussed, including the Old Industrial Area complex, the area formerly known as Der Platz (near the Hill-to-Hill Bridge and the Church Street-Main Street intersection), and the Moravian Pleasure Grounds area south of Church Street. Although the entirety of the plan was not completed, the plan nonetheless reflects careful attention to reviving the historic landscape and buildings of eighteenth century Bethlehem (Kane 1963). In 1966, the city passed new legislation creating a Bethlehem Historic District and a local historic district ordinance to protect the buildings within it. In 1972, the Bethlehem Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Among the contributing structures for both districts are the Church Street campus buildings owned by Moravian College (Moravian College 2007:23-24). Restoration work on the other buildings proceeded over time once the Main Hall work was complete, with most occurring in the late 1970s. Smaller historic preservation projects have occurred here and there over the following 30 years, with more planned for the future. The Single Brethren’s House had its east wall restored in 1958, as mentioned. In 1967, considerable work was carried out, including removal of the nineteenth century back porches. In 1976, as part of the Bicentennial celebration, its exterior stonework was restored on the remaining sides (figure 3-33). Further window restoration was carried out in 2007 (Schamberger 2008, personal communication). The significance of the Single Brethren’s House and its eighteenth-century counterparts in American architectural history cannot be overstated. In 1968, it was carefully documented by the Historic American Figure 3-33. The Single Brethren’s House, early in restoration process (Moravian College Archives). John Milner Associates • October 2009 • Chapter 3 • College Context • 50
Moravian College • Preservation Master Plan Building Survey (HABS), creating a permanent archival record of its existing conditions and uncovering valuable historic construction evidence which ultimately would help guide its restoration. The work was carried out under the auspices of the Bethlehem Project, undertaken jointly by Historic Bethlehem Inc. (Vincent P. Foley, Executive Director, 1968), Moravian College and the Historic American Buildings Survey (James C. Massey, Chief, 1968) with the cooperation of the Moravian Church. The buildings were measured and drawn in the summer of 1968 by student assistant architects Lawrence E. Park (Cornell University), Donna C. Mitchell (University of Kansas), William A. Okazaki (Washington State University), and Allan H. Steenhusen (Iowa State University) under the direction of John D. Milner, architect for Historic Bethlehem Inc. (HABS PA-1141 1968; Schamberger 2008, personal communication) Clewell Hall, a high style residence hailed in the National Register nomination as “an exceptional Second Empire house“ (PHMC 1971-1992), was rehabilitated in 1971 and now serves as a dormitory. Frueauff House was restored from a three-story building to its original two stories at the same time. The Bicentennial period saw work on West Hall and its connected buildings to the south. West Hall was restored in 1976. Old Chapel (1848) was restored on the exterior in 1977, and its interior was renovated in 1980 to create Hearst Hall. Peter Hall (1867) was restored inside and out over 1977 and 1978. In 1998, historic stained glass windows in the former chapel were revealed and restored. South Hall was renovated in 1978, and its east windows were restored in 2008. The interiors of the main building complex were redone purposely to create spaces for music and fine arts programs (Schamberger 2008, personal communication). The detached Gymnasium (1890) became an art studio in 1963 and was renovated on the exterior in 1978. In 1983, the Gymnasium was remodeled as the Payne Art Gallery. At the same time, Foy Concert Hall was constructed as a connecting building between Payne Gallery and South Hall. The gallery was renovated in 2001 to meet Smithsonian curatorial standards. In 2009, the gallery is scheduled for exterior restoration and interior climate control alterations (Schamberger 2008, personal communication). Figure 3-34. Late nineteenth century view of the Widows’ House. The building looks much the same today (Moravian Church Archives). retained a high level of integrity over time and did not need extensive restoration work. Moravian widows still occupy this historic building, along with Theological Seminary students. Historic Bethlehem, Inc. now operates multiple museums, including the flagship Moravian Museum housed in the Gemeinhaus. It also interprets the Colonial Industrial Quarter, which includes standing structures, reconstructions, and archeological sites. The 1869 Luckenbach Gristmill and the 1750-1761 Smithy are important components of this interpretation, along with wayfinding information. Additional museum properties operated by Historic Bethlehem include the Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts, the 1810 Goundie House, and Burnside Plantation. The museums and sites are operated in association with the Smithsonian Institution. The organization also hosts a number of special activities, lectures, and museum programs each year to increase public knowledge, use, and appreciation of Bethlehem’s unique heritage and historic buildings (Historic Bethlehem, Inc. 2007). The College acquired a second landmark eighteenthcentury Moravian building, the Widows’ House (1768), in the mid-1990s (figure 3-34). This building John Milner Associates • October 2009 • Chapter 3 • College Context • 51
Page 1:
Preservation Master Plan for Moravi
Page 5:
Moravian College • Preservation M
Page 8 and 9:
Page 10 and 11:
Page 12 and 13: Moravian College • Preservation M
Page 18 and 19: Figure 2-1. Detail of Map of Centra
Page 61: Moravian College • Preservation M
Page 83 and 84: Main Street Moravian College • Pr
Page 113 and 114:
Page 115 and 116:
Page 117 and 118:
Page 119 and 120:
Page 121 and 122:
Page 123 and 124:
Page 125 and 126:
Page 127 and 128:
Page 129 and 130:
Page 131 and 132:
Page 133 and 134:
Page 135 and 136:
Page 137 and 138:
Page 139 and 140:
Page 141 and 142:
Page 143 and 144:
Page 145 and 146:
Page 147 and 148:
Page 149 and 150:
Page 151 and 152:
Page 153 and 154:
Page 155 and 156:
Page 157 and 158:
Page 159 and 160:
Page 161 and 162:
Page 163 and 164:
Page 165 and 166:
Page 167 and 168:
Page 169 and 170:
Page 171 and 172:
Page 173 and 174:
Page 175 and 176:
Page 177 and 178:
Page 179 and 180:
Page 181 and 182:
Page 183 and 184:
Page 185 and 186:
Page 187 and 188:
Page 189 and 190:
Page 191 and 192:
Page 193 and 194:
Page 195 and 196:
Page 197 and 198:
Page 199 and 200:
Page 201 and 202:
Page 203 and 204:
Page 205 and 206:
Page 207 and 208:
Page 209 and 210:
Page 211 and 212:
Page 213 and 214:
Page 215 and 216:
Page 217 and 218:
Page 219 and 220:
Page 221 and 222:
Page 223 and 224:
Page 225 and 226:
Page 227 and 228:
Page 229 and 230:
Page 231 and 232:
Page 233 and 234:
Page 235 and 236:
Page 237 and 238:
Page 239 and 240:
Page 241 and 242:
Page 243 and 244:
Page 245 and 246:
Page 247 and 248:
Page 249 and 250:
Page 251 and 252:
Page 253 and 254:
Page 255 and 256:
Page 257 and 258:
Page 259 and 260:
Page 261 and 262:
Page 263 and 264:
Page 265 and 266:
Page 267 and 268:
Page 269 and 270:
Page 271 and 272:
Page 273 and 274:
Page 275 and 276:
Page 277 and 278:
Page 279 and 280:
Page 281 and 282:
Page 283 and 284:
Page 285 and 286:
Page 287 and 288:
Page 289 and 290:
Page 291 and 292:
Page 293 and 294:
Page 295 and 296:
Page 297 and 298:
Page 299 and 300:
Page 301 and 302:
Page 303 and 304:
Page 305 and 306:
Page 307 and 308:
Page 309 and 310:
Page 311 and 312:
Page 313 and 314:
Page 315 and 316:
Page 317 and 318:
Page 319 and 320:
Page 321 and 322:
Page 323 and 324:
Page 325 and 326:
Page 327 and 328:
Page 329 and 330:
Page 331 and 332:
Page 333 and 334:
Page 335 and 336:
Page 337 and 338:
Page 339:
Page 342 and 343:
Page 344 and 345:
Page 347 and 348:
Page 349 and 350:
Page 351 and 352:
Page 353 and 354:
Page 355 and 356:
Page 357 and 358:
Page 359 and 360:
Page 361 and 362:
Page 363 and 364:
Page 365 and 366:
Page 367 and 368:
Page 369 and 370:
Page 371 and 372:
Page 373 and 374:
Page 375 and 376:
Page 377 and 378:
Page 379 and 380:
Page 381 and 382:
Page 383 and 384:
Page 385 and 386:
Page 387 and 388:
Page 389 and 390:
Page 391 and 392:
Page 393:
Page 396 and 397:
Page 398 and 399:
Page 400 and 401:
Page 402 and 403:
Page 404 and 405:
Page 406:
show all

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

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?