This beautiful stone building was constructed in 1781 as the spiritual core of the Moravian community. It took 19 months to build the 3 1/2 story combination church and activity center. Religious services were convened in a large second floor room 30 feet square and their was space set aside for both boys and girls schools and dormitories. The minister’s quarters were also in the Gemeinhaus. After the Moravians sold their property and returned to Bethlehem in 1808 the building did duty as the Warren County Courthouse and had a long tenure as an inn servicing the stage coaches traveling between the Delaware River and the Hudson River. The family that operated the Union Inn from 1840 to 1853 was also around to help found the First Hope Bank in 1911, which has owned the building for the last century. The bank, still in the same family, has been careful caretakers of the Gemeinhaus, completing a meticulous restoration of the exterior, including the bell tower on the roof, in 1993.
No comments:
Post a Comment