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Moravian College • Preservation Master Plan
4. Reconstruction will be based on the accurate
duplication of historic features and elements
substantiated by documentary or physical
evidence rather than on conjectural designs
or the availability of different features from
other historic properties. A reconstructed
property will re-create the appearance of the
non-surviving historic property in materials,
design, color, and texture.
5. A reconstruction will be clearly identified as a
contemporary re-creation.
6. Designs that were never executed historically
will not be constructed (Weeks and Grimmer
1995:165-166).
Reconstruction as a Treatment
When a contemporary depiction is required to
understand and interpret a property’s historic value
(including the re-creation of missing components in a
historic district or site); when no other property with the
same associative value has survived; and when sufficient
historical documentation exists to ensure an accurate
reproduction, Reconstruction may be considered as a
treatment (Weeks and Grimmer 1995:169).
A reconstruction is a new resource made to replace
an historic resource that has been lost, and is
used only in the instance of a significant loss.
Reconstruction has not been used to treat Moravian
College’s historic resources previously, although it
was used in the former Industrial Quarter opposite
the Priscilla Payne Hurd Campus to help interpret
the city’s early industries. Like Restoration,
Reconstruction is not anticipated to be relevant
to future projects at Moravian College with the
possible exception of the re-creation of selected
landscape features.
In planning for the stewardship of historic buildings
and landscapes at Moravian College, Preservation
and Rehabilitation are the most appropriate and
applicable treatments for consideration and use.
These terms have been applied in recommending
overall treatment approaches to individual
buildings, landscape character areas, and specific
landscape features in subsequent chapters of this
Preservation Master Plan.
4.6 A Treatment Philosophy
and Recommended
Approach for Moravian
College
Working within the context of the Secretary of
the Interior’s Standards and considering Moravian
College’s specific preservation objectives, outlined
previously, the recommended philosophical
treatment approach for the Preservation Master Plan
is one of sensitive rehabilitation. This approach
recognizes that Moravian College is not a static
environment and must continue to evolve to
meet the needs of its academic program offerings
and student body. However, Moravian College’s
strong regard for its remarkable history provides
a solid basis for preservation-minded stewardship.
Beginning as early as the 1814 conversion of an old
choir house to a girls’ boarding school, Moravian
College has demonstrated significant leadership
in historic preservation as it continuously adapted
and reused its cherished historic buildings and
grounds for most aspects of modern-day college
life. Its historic buildings are highly visible models
of preserved architecture, which form prominent
gateways into Historic Bethlehem at opposite ends
of Main Street. The concept of sensitive rehabilitation
recognizes Moravian College’s many successes in
the preservation of its campuses over time, but lays
the groundwork for fine-tuning its approach to
future stewardship of its historic resources.
This philosophy espouses the recognized treatment
approach of rehabilitation, the process of creating and
maintaining a compatible use in an historic property
through careful planning, minimal alterations, and
compatible additions. It also accommodates the
current conditions of the College’s historic fabric,
much of which has undergone one or more historic
preservation treatments. Sensitive rehabilitation
makes provisions for the needs of tomorrow, but
also preserves the resources significant to Moravian
College’s history, reinforces Moravian College’s
distinctive sense of place, and reflects the values
inherent in the college’s mission and strategic plan.
The retention, rehabilitation, and enhancement
of historic campus resources will reinforce the
College’s connection to the educational ideals of its
founders, its commitment to integrity of character,
and its traditions of community service and
leadership. Successful preservation of the historic
campus will ensure that the centuries-old physical
link between Moravian College’s beginnings and its
John Milner Associates • October 2009 • Chapter 4 • Stewardship • 62